


Battlefield

by tromana



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Attempted Murder, Big Bang Challenge, Community: mentalist_bb, Drama, F/M, Gen, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Law Enforcement, Minor Character Death, Murder, On the Run, The Mentalist Big Bang 2012, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-27
Updated: 2013-01-28
Packaged: 2017-11-27 03:58:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 36,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/657800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tromana/pseuds/tromana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Lisbon is framed as being a mole for Red John, her whole world is turned upside down. Can she get out of this situation unscathed, and will anybody stand by her as she tries to prove her innocence?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Written for The Mentalist Big Bang 2012. Fun fact: this fic started out as being a dream. With thanks to aprilvolition and Lothiriel84 for providing me with inspiration and wonderful artwork. Thanks also to Miss_Peg for being an amazing cheerleader and beta. If you choose to read this, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

 

Two gunshots rattled in the air and Lisbon cringed at the sound of them. It was a sound she was accustomed to, but usually, she was the one responsible for firing the gun. Usually, she was down the range, or on rarer occasions, out in the field in self-defense.

This time, though, she wasn’t even legally in possession of her gun. She’d been forced to relinquish it to the CBI prior to her suspension, and had only got it back through sheer luck. That didn’t stop the fact she shouldn’t have it at all, though, and she couldn’t fight the gnawing guilt each time she handled it. Lisbon had pleaded with them, tried to make them see sense, but they claimed that the evidence had been insurmountable and that they had to take action prior to a full enquiry into the situation.

But this was Red John. They knew how wily, and cunning, and sly he was. They knew he was capable of something like this. But they were acting blind to the facts, her good character, her honesty and her practical incapability to lie. She’d spent years hunting down Red John; she had dedicated her entire CBI career to it.

As another shot whizzed past, she realized. The hunter had become the hunted.  
   
She wondered briefly where it had all gone so spectacularly wrong. How everyone she had known and cared about had seemed to turn their backs on her one by one. And desperately, she wanted to clear her name. To prove for once and for all that she was completely innocent.  
   
That she was not a friend of Red John's.  
   
The very thought of that, even now, seemed utterly ludicrous to her. How could Teresa Lisbon, a woman who had dedicated her entire life to the apprehension of the deadliest criminals that California had to offer work for the notorious Red John in her spare time?  
   
And yet, that was precisely what the people appeared to believe.  
   
She hadn't helped herself by going on the run, she knew that. However, a currently nameless individual, but she had a shrinking suspicion as to whom, had forced her hand. It was either run or risk losing her life.  
   
That, now, seemed to be a daily battle. Day and night, she found herself praying that she would get through the day unscathed. She wished that the whole world would see sense. Or that she would wake up to discover that this had all been some kind of horrible nightmare. As far as Lisbon was concerned, the situation was practically incomprehensible. And she was the woman who had watched – and even assisted on occasion – Jane come up with many a madcap plan.  
   
She prayed Patrick Jane would put together the pieces and realize she had been framed for multiple crimes that she did not commit. He _knew_ her; he had to know that she was innocent. That she wouldn’t even dream of doing something like this.  
   
And every day, it seemed like her prayers had been going unanswered. Just what had she done to deserve this? Why had she been chosen as the victim?  
   
She had no doubt that Red John was behind this. The question remained as to what he planned to do next. There was a reason behind every one of his actions and presumably, this had been his idea in order to split her and Jane up. Lisbon had known that she had been on Red John’s radar for a while now; it would have been naïve for her to think otherwise. Even if she did somehow get out of this with her life and her dignity, then the seeds of doubt had already been planted in his – and everybody else’s - head. It was entirely possible that the damage had already been done. She hoped that wasn’t the case and that she would be able to salvage her friendships, her relationship with Jane, her career even, from the wreckage. But with each day that went past, it seemed like this was becoming increasingly unlikely.  
   
She flew down the flight of stairs and sheltered under a bridge in order to catch her breath. Her stamina wasn't what it used to be; the deprivation of sleep and food was catching up with her. Lisbon couldn’t remember the last time she had a decent meal, and she never felt safe enough to sleep properly. Her anxiety levels were sky high and justifiably so.

And she was tired of running. Tired of pretending to be something she wasn’t. Sick of feeling guilt-ridden for something she wasn’t even responsible for.

If Red John had decided that, as a part of his master plan, he needed to have her framed as one of his acolytes, then so be it.

She was going to walk into the lion’s den with her head held high.

And bring the bastard down from the inside.


	2. Chapter 1

 

Teresa Lisbon sat at her desk with her head held in her hands. She had never envisaged that replacing Wayne Rigsby within her unit would have been such an arduous task. Of course, it had been a long while since she had been in this position; she had been lucky. Not since Hannigan had taken an abject dislike to the concept of working with Patrick Jane had she had to consider hiring a new recruit. For a long while - longer than usual - all three of her subordinates had been completely happy where they were. She'd heard of the staffing nightmares other units had due to people leaving for promotion and the like, and had consequently felt sorry for the leaders of those units. Her team, meanwhile, had been stable for years and she had enjoyed that security. Lisbon had known each and every member of her team inside out and upside down. She knew what their strengths and weaknesses were, and knew she could rely upon them in any given situation. There was a reason she referred to them as her surrogate family, after all.  
   
However, she also entirely understood Rigsby's impetus to leave. He wanted to give it one last shot with Sarah Harrigan, the mother of his only son, Benjamin. Lisbon had been led to believe that Ms. Harrigan had laid down an ultimatum: it was her or the job. Since Patrick Jane had asked Rigsby to fake his death without telling her, Sarah hadn't approved of the unit in its entirety, but Jane specifically as well. Initially Rigsby had opted for the job, just like he had when Lisbon herself had given the ultimatum that he had to choose between Grace and working with the unit. Rigsby had tried to be a single father, but this had never been what he wanted for his young son, having grown up with an unreliable father himself. He realized that, deep down, he still loved Sarah and he wanted her back. How could Lisbon deny him such a thing? So, she had accepted his resignation and promised he would leave with good graces and an excellent reference. If he ever wanted to come back to the CBI, then she vowed there would always be a place for him within her unit.   
   
But that didn't solve her current dilemma. For the past month, Lisbon had been looking for a suitable replacement. They were such an established team with defined roles, so she didn't want somebody who would rock the boat. Equally, though, fresh ideas (and the tolerance to work with a certain Patrick Jane) were always of use. Lisbon was constantly striving for the team to be the best it could possibly be, so she knew she couldn’t just pick the most enthusiastic or most intelligent person fresh from the academy. They had to be just right. That didn't explain why she was finding it so difficult to make the decision. Naturally, she had requested that Cho, Jane and Van Pelt assist her. They would all have to work closely with the new recruit, even closer than she would on occasion. Therefore, it was vital that they approved of the new person too. But every applicant that one liked, another picked holes in and Jane didn't seem to like any of them at all. Time was running out though; Rigsby would be leaving in exactly two weeks and unless she found someone soon, they would be running short staffed.  
   
With a heavy sigh, she looked at the clock. Interviewees would be arriving soon and Lisbon had already decided that this was definitely the worst part of the job. They still had three open cases to work on, and she would have liked to spend some time preparing for the cases she was due to testify in court next week too. However, there were three more individuals who had to be assessed. Out of all the applications, these were the only three people who had ticked most of the boxes. They were the only three that Cho and Van Pelt had agreed _could_ be suitable from theirrésumés. Jane would just have to learn to get used to whomever she chose out of these individuals. She knew he wasn’t happy about Rigsby’s leaving, and much less about his reasons as to why, but there was nothing she could do about it. Jane was just being difficult for the sake of it; if she could have kept Rigsby over choosing somebody new, then of course, she would have. Instead, Lisbon knew they needed a new rookie and that was that.

After the first man came and went, Lisbon almost felt like banging her head against a brick wall. On paper, he had sounded like a fantastic fit. In reality, he had a nervous tic, no experience whatsoever and no natural people-skills. The fact that he had seemed scared witless of her during the whole process hadn’t helped either. Of course, Lisbon knew she needed somebody who respected her authority as team leader, and would always answer to her over Jane, but she also needed somebody who was actually willing to look her in the eye. When she promised that she would contact the man either way and shook his hand in goodbye, she was glad to see him go. Then, she glanced at her watch and immediately walked towards the kitchenette. If she was going to have to get through two more potentially equally dire interviews, then she needed a strong, hot coffee to do so.

“Hey Lisbon,” Jane said with a warm smile. “How goes the hunt?”

She smiled wryly. “I’ll find somebody.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Never mind that,” she replied as she tore open a sachet of sugar. “How’s the case.”

“Okay. Cho thinks he’s found a break. He and Rigsby are off chasing it up as we speak.”

“And you chose not to go?” Lisbon questioned, surprised by his decision.

“Why would I when I get the chance to psychoanalyze your interviewees as they come and go? It’s much more interesting getting the first glimpse of the potential new members of our illustrious team than chasing up a break which might be a waste of time.”

She snorted derisively. Of course Jane would see it like that. Lisbon also briefly wondered if Jane had done something to set the first man on edge before he had even stepped into her office. Naturally, she wouldn’t have put it past him. By doing that, it was probably his way of getting some control as to who would next join the unit. Sometimes, she wondered if he even realized she was still technically his boss. Just because he didn’t answer to her, or even listen to the vast majority of what she told him, it didn’t change that simple fact. Half of her then wondered if she should have included Jane in the interviewing process too, but she had chosen against it for a reason. She knew from past experience that being interviewed for a job could be terrifying. Having Jane in the room would only make it worse, as he’d ask inappropriate questions and even his smile was enough to set people off-guard.

Instead, she told him to go and get on with some work, instead of wasting time napping or bothering Van Pelt. Lisbon knew full well that he wouldn’t listen to either of those instructions, but she wasn’t about to waste time on a lost cause. Instead, she knew she had to read up on the notes of the people due to visit her next. She sighed; the sooner this was over and done with, and she knew what direction her team was taking, the better. Then, she would be able to get on with some real work instead. While she prepped for the interview, Jane disturbed her twice: once to confirm that Rigsby and Cho’s lead had been a red herring and once because he was obviously bored.

When the second interviewee turned up, obviously late, Lisbon was immediately unimpressed. The rest of the interview wasn’t that much better either, although he was more relaxed than the previous one. Lisbon suspected that this was partially because Jane hadn’t had a chance to get at him yet. Once again, by the end of the interview, she was glad to say goodbye to this man. She’d already decided he was definitely unsuitable; he was overqualified and overconfident. In the space of ten minutes, he’d already questioned her authority twice and he didn’t even have the job yet. Then there were the gaps in his résumé which he had refused to fill in for her. She knew why from a little research prior to his arrival; he had been suspended in his previous position in Iowa for punching a civilian, but he hadn’t even tried to justify the actions. If he’d had a good reason for it – self-defense, for example – then maybe, he’d have had a chance. Instead, Lisbon found herself pinning her hopes onto the last interviewee. Otherwise, she was going to have to take a look at the next intake of academy students and hope that one of them would be suitable instead.

There was a knock at her door and a blonde haired woman slipped through the gap. Lisbon placed her coffee down and smiled slightly; she recognized Lilith Douglas from the picture that had been attached to her résumé almost immediately. The woman was early, with warm hazel eyes and was well-presented. She smiled slightly at Lisbon, and seemed almost relieved that she had asked her to enter instead of turning her away. Lisbon motioned to the seat opposite her, and Douglas took to it immediately. She placed her file down on the desk and put forward a hand, which Lisbon shook firmly.

“I hope I’m not too early?” she enquired gently.

“Not at all,” Lisbon assured her; it was far better to be early than late. “Thank you for coming.”

Douglas was the youngest of the applicants which Lisbon had chosen to interview, having just graduated from the academy two months ago. Lisbon had been a little apprehensive about her; at least the other two had had some prior experience walking the beat in different state police departments. However, by this stage, Douglas was the only one to have made a positive impression on her. She answered the questions concisely, asked intelligent ones of her own and seemed very keen to learn. Douglas seemed to have a wise head on her young shoulders which also helped.

“Why do you want to work for the CBI, specifically?” Lisbon enquired towards the end of the interview.

“It’s a premier law enforcement agency,” Douglas answered and Lisbon suppressed a sigh. That was a very clichéd answer and she had expected better from the young woman.

“We’ve had a lot of bad press lately.”

“All generated by Patrick Jane. I’ve kept an eye on it.”

“You would be working with him in close quarters, you know?” Lisbon pushed.

“Yes, I know. I could manage that.”

“What makes you think that?”

“From the little I know about him already – from old newspaper reports from when he used to masquerade as a psychic, and more recent ones about his exploits with the CBI – he reminds me of my brother.”

“Oh?”

“He had disabilities, but he always came up with crazy plans. A crazy plan too far is what killed him.”

“I’m very sorry for your loss,” Lisbon replied softly.

“Don’t be,” Douglas said firmly. “If it wasn’t for him, I’d never have decided to become a cop. I want to do right, as I couldn’t save him.”

“I understand. Thank you for your time, Ms. Douglas. I’ll be in touch soon.”

Lilith Douglas nodded her thanks and swiftly vacated the room. She was quickly replaced by Patrick Jane and Lisbon wasn’t surprised in the slightest. Instead, she steepled her fingers and eyed her consultant seriously. Through the venetian blinds, she had seen him listening into the conversation and she hadn’t been surprised in the slightest. What had surprised her was that he hadn’t decided to interrupt and share his insight anyway. He usually did that kind of thing. And she was willing to bet a substantial amount that he would have loved to have been able to cold-read properly, instead of from painful glimpses between the gaps in her blinds.

“Well?” she asked.

“Rigsby and Cho are back. They want to update you on the case.”

“If they wanted to update me on the case, it would be them in here, not you,” Lisbon answered back smoothly. “What is it that you want, specifically, Jane?”

“I like her. Or at least, she’s the best of a bad bunch.”

“Really? I thought you didn’t like any of the applicants based on their résumés?”

“Ah, but a piece of paper can say any amount of lies. It’s different when you meet somebody in the flesh.”

“True,” she conceded. “I still haven’t made my decision though.”

“Please,” Jane said with a smirk. “You made your decision halfway through interviewing Lilith Douglas. When does she start?”

“One, I haven’t offered her the job yet, two she hasn’t accepted it and three…”

“You don’t really have a three.”

“I _might_ have preferred one of the other two candidates,” she answered stiffly.

Jane stood and went to head for the door. Lisbon shook her head slightly and instead, went to check her e-mails. She hadn’t had a chance to do so sooner, what with the coming and going of people needing to be interviewed for Rigsby’s old job. When he got to the door frame, she noticed that Jane had stopped and turned on his heels to look at her once more. Obviously, he had expected her to follow without question, much like she usually did. However, she had work to do, and as he had already pointed out, she did want to catch up with the developments that had happened in her cases while she had been otherwise engaged.

“I think we should go out for lunch. You’ve been cooped up in her all morning and it’s made you tense. C’mon.”

“Jane.”

“What?”

“Fine,” she answered, not bothering to come up with a proper defense. “But you’re paying.”

“I never said I wasn’t. But Lisbon, one more thing…”

“What?”

“Don’t leave it too long before you offer Lilith a place. Otherwise, she might end up elsewhere…”


	3. Part Two

“Welcome to the team, Agent Douglas,” Lisbon spoke and she shook the woman’s hand firmly. “I hope you’ll become a valued asset to my team.”

“And I hope I live up to your high expectations,” Douglas replied with a wry smile. “I intend to try my very best.”

Lisbon watched as Douglas tucked her blonde hair back behind her ear. This wasn’t the end of an era; it was the start of a new one, she reminded herself firmly. Just because Wayne Rigsby had left two days previously and Douglas had been now been drafted in, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t remain as a successful unit for the CBI. So, the years of stability were over, but eventually, Douglas would find her niche within the team and things would be fine again. Quietly, Lisbon hoped that Rigsby would find peace and happiness in his decision, just as much as she hoped her team would continue working like a well-oiled machine since the changes that had occurred.

Quickly, she stood and she motioned to Douglas to follow. The young woman did instinctively and Lisbon was pleased. It was time to introduce her to the rest of the team, and of course, to assign her a desk. She was confident that this woman would work well with the others; she seemed eager enough to please and mold around the rest of the team. In a way, it was almost like she was too eager, but Lisbon cast aside those reservations. It was better that somebody had endless enthusiasm, which would inevitably be washed away after a few months or years on the job, than them not caring about it at all.

As she expected, Van Pelt warmed to Douglas immediately and Cho just introduced himself before getting on with his assigned duties. Jane remained standoffish, but that was to be expected. Out of all three of them, Jane was the one who had been most irritated by the change in the staffing, mostly because he had been the principal reason for it happening in the first place. He would just have to learn to get used to it, Lisbon surmised. It wasn’t as if they had any choice in the matter anyway. No amount of begging or pleading would have convinced Rigsby to stay, and besides, he had chosen to leave for honorable reasons and that was for his family. If anyone should have been able to understand that concept, it was Patrick Jane.

“Boss?” Cho said after placing down the receiver on the telephone. “We’re up.”

He quickly followed up with the rest of the scant details that he knew. It was a double homicide, not too far away. Lisbon smiled wryly; there was never really an appropriate time or cause for murder, but she knew this would be a good excuse to drop Lilith Douglas in at the deep end. In a way, this would be the ideal way of training her hard and fast for life as a CBI agent. It was a matter of minutes before she, Cho, Jane and Douglas were all safely within the state issue SUV and on their way to a crime scene. Douglas looked a little perplexed at the speed of the development, but she’d learn. If they didn’t hurry to the scene of the crime, then there was the possibility of vital evidence being lost.

The journey was mercifully quick. Nobody said a word, which meant the atmosphere was a little tense, but it was better than Jane choosing to gaud somebody with no good reason. If he disliked something, he often had a habit of doing that and it irked her considerably. However, given an annoying Jane or a peaceful journey, Lisbon knew that she would always take the latter. On a couple of occasions, Douglas asked one of them a question, and Cho generally took it upon himself to answer her concisely. Still, Lisbon knew that things would only really get interesting once they were at the crime scene. Hopefully then, Jane would actually be distracted by something of more importance and Douglas would be able to see how they really worked as a unit.

LEOs were already at the crime scene and had cordoned off the house and front yard by the time they arrived. Lisbon ignored them and instead, headed straight to the M.E. who shook her hand firmly and led them to the crime scene. She hoped that the LEOs wouldn’t cause any problems when handing the case over to them; with an irritable Jane and a new rookie to deal with, she had enough on her plate at that moment in time. Still, she had already decided that she was going to leave Cho to deal with the bureaucracy for a change. He was unflappable and any aggravation that was caused would easily fly over his head. Kimball Cho did not care what happened, just so long as the job got done and that was why they still worked together so well, even after all these years.

The two bodies – a man and a woman - lay side by side, interlinked only by their two hands entwined together. If it wasn't for the shotgun wounds marring their chests, the naked couple could have appeared to be merely sleeping. Lisbon immediately assumed that they had been killed in their sleep and that they never had a chance to defend themselves. The M.E. filled her in on the details; the names of the individuals, the time of death and the like and Lisbon listened attentively to everything he had to say. Just because Jane regarded this information as being relatively unimportant in the scheme of things, it didn’t mean it actually was. Somewhere behind him she could see Douglas lingering in a corner, with an ashen face and clutching at her necklace. She was doing well considering these were her first dead bodies, but all things considered, they weren't especially grotesque.  
   
Soon enough, they were on their way again. A crowd of neighbors had gathered outside and immediately, Lisbon instructed Cho (who had finished successfully dealing with the LEOs) and Douglas to canvass the people loitering for any information. There was always the possibility that they would get lucky and somebody would know something about the deaths. Meanwhile, she dragged Jane out of the crime scene and back to the car. She wanted to pick his mind on a few things, most notably the case and if he had actually bothered to start warming up to Agent Douglas. Besides, he really came into his own when he questioned people; there was only so much he could read from a crime scene.

“What’s wrong with you today?” Lisbon muttered once they were finally on the road. “You’re quiet, surly, uncommunicative…”

She trailed off. Usually, he was in this frame of mind shortly after Red John had killed and inevitably escaped again. Lisbon was getting sick and tired of telling him that, next time, they would catch the killer as even she was beginning to doubt if that next time would actually ever come. Even so, it was a concern that he was in this kind of mood with no obvious trigger for it. Tentatively, she reached out and touched his forearm with two fingers. He had to know that she was there for him through everything. After all, they had already been through so much together and she hadn’t once thought about deserting him. Still, he remained stubbornly silent and she let out a heavy sigh before trying a different tack.

“What do you think of Douglas? Do you think she’ll fit in with the team?”

“I don’t know.”

ldquo;Please,” she scoffed; she knew he was lying. “I know you, Jane. I know you’re thinking _something_.”

Jane shrugged noncommittally and Lisbon could almost have predicted his reaction. Considering how supposedly unpredictable he was to other people, she found him remarkably easy to read on occasion. But then, she supposed that was just testament to how long they had spent in one another's company now. Things could easily have been so different if she had ended up giving up on him before now. Still, she wished he wasn't being so stubborn today, she wished he could have been more accepting of the change and she wished he would just talk to her. It wasn't her fault that Rigsby had chosen to leave, nor was it her fault that Sarah Harrigan had given him that ultimatum in the first place. In any working environment, change was inevitable. People ordinarily just didn't stay in the same job for that long anymore. They had been lucky to have that kind of stability, but somehow, he just couldn’t seem to grasp that concept right now.  
   
"Fine,” Lisbon said with a sigh. “Why are you so intent on disliking her when you don't even know her yet?" she asked, desperate to try and get anything out of him.  
   
"There's something I don't like about her; I still haven't been able to get a proper read of her," he grumbled and Lisbon had to stifle a laugh. He sounded so discontent at the fact that somebody had been able to elude his abilities for the first time in a very long while.  
   
"She was the best candidate that applied, Jane. I couldn’t have justified picking anybody else over her."  
   
"Doesn't mean she's necessarily trustworthy, though," he pointed out.  
   
"And you can be wrong, you know. Even your tactics aren't entirely foolproof."  
   
He didn't answer again and almost immediately, Lisbon felt guilty for insulting him. Usually he took her glib comments with good humor or he had some witty comment to say right back at her in response, but today, he seemed to have genuinely taken it to heart. Or at least, he hadn't even dignified her statement with an answer. She hated it when he managed to make her feel like this; technically, she had done nothing wrong. It wasn’t her fault that Jane had taken an instant dislike to the new rookie and thus, was in a foul mood to match his irritation. She shook her head slightly and tried to clear her mind of the problematic thoughts that were beginning to develop. He was just in one of those moods and there was nothing she could do about it.  
   
"Okay then. What about the case? Do you have any thoughts on that?"  
   
"None worth sharing," Jane answered.  
   
"Oh really?" she replied skeptically.  
   
"Except it was a crime of passion," he answered and Lisbon was relieved he had finally offered her an admittedly obvious tidbit. "Sophie Minchin was having an affair. We should find out who her mystery lover was."

The questioning of Minchin’s family went smoothly and swiftly. For once, Jane was on his best behavior and Lisbon could only put it down to the fact that his energies were being spent elsewhere. The family was clearly devastated by the loss of their beloved daughter and sister, and her doting husband. When Jane brought up the theory about the lover, one which Lisbon secretly agreed with, none of them claimed to have a clue about it. There were four possibilities: one of them was lying to protect the memory of Sophie Minchin, one of them was responsible because of said affair, they were all genuinely oblivious to the fact or Jane had actually been wrong for a change. Lisbon suspected that it was most likely that she hadn’t confided in her family about this sordid secret, and thus, they would have to look into it elsewhere. Already, she had Van Pelt looking into the Minchin family’s financial credentials and she hoped that the redhead would have something to show for her hard work soon.

Meanwhile, Lisbon had already decided that their next port of call was going to be Sophie Minchin’s workplace. It seemed like the next logical step, especially as her brother had mentioned that she had been having some trouble with co-workers off-handedly. Seemingly for once in the day, Jane had no complaints about that either and Lisbon was pleasantly relieved with that. While on their way to Minchin’s workplace, Cho called to say that he and Douglas had finished interviewing the witnesses and they were already heading back to CBI headquarters. For the most part, the neighbors only confirmed what the M.E. had already told them, which was unfortunate. However, one person witnessed a car leaving the area very shortly after the shots were fired and got a partial plate, but that was it.

At the workplace, Minchin’s colleagues were a little more forthcoming with information. Apparently, the woman had been seen with a string of individuals – both women and men - who weren’t her husband, in recent months. Dutifully, Lisbon noted down the list of names while Jane pawed his way through Minchin’s desk. Nobody bothered to argue with what he was doing; they simply didn’t seem to care. However, they were very interested in the fact their colleague had been murdered. Lisbon suspected that Sophie Minchin had supplied them with plentiful gossip in recent months and though they were impressed with her spectacular demise, they would soon miss the individual who had once single-handedly fueled their rumor mill.

Jane was a little more talkative on the journey back to the headquarters. He’d found some interesting items in Minchin’s desk and was beginning to sink his teeth into the case. Lisbon was relieved; it was better than having him sulking, after all. However, once she got back to the headquarters she was glad that she could disappear into her office without having him disturb her once again. That was until she found she couldn’t log into her network account on the computer. She tried several times, but to no avail.

Immediately, she found herself wondering what was going on. She was certain that she was typing her username and password correctly. Automatically, she wondered whether or not the network had been having downtime issues, though none of the rest of the team had reported any problems to her. Then, she considered the possibility of somebody hacking into her account. Lisbon immediately dismissed that thought; she trusted her team, partially because she had to, but mostly because as far as she was concerned, they _were_ trustworthy individuals.

But Douglas was new. She hadn’t even been with the team for twenty-four hours yet. Ergo, she didn’t really know the girl at all.

Lisbon shook her head firmly. She had been spending far too long in Jane’s company if she was going to get suspicious of members of her team over something which was most likely just a glitch in the system.


	4. Part Three

Two weeks later and Lisbon had finally been able to close the Minchin case. What had initially seemed like a simple affair had quickly gotten out of control. The number of suspects had increased exponentially once they discovered that Sophie Minchin had been acting as an escort in a vain attempt to drag her family out of spiraling debt. After what felt like countless interviews over the space of a week and a half, Jane had realized that one client had reacted differently to the rest. A woman named Jessica Capshaw had genuinely believed that the boundary between client and escort had been crossed and she had fallen in love with Sophie. She had killed both the woman and her husband in a jealous rage and as a consequence, was going to spend the rest of her life in a prison cell or psychiatric institution, if she claimed insanity instead.  
   
Lisbon couldn't help but feel sorry for both the victim and Jessica. A couple of fateful errors had led to this tragedy and now multiple lives had essentially been destroyed. But then, that was often the case when it came to investigating murders. Sometimes, the bleakness of her job really dragged her down, but for the most part, Lisbon realized the benefits of upholding the law. Just because she couldn't bring loved ones back from the dead, it didn't mean she couldn't offer them some sort of closure from this sorry situation. And it was a vain attempt to send out a statement too: that it just wasn’t worth killing, that if you did, one day, you would be caught and tried for your crimes. However, death and destruction never did seem to stop, but if for some unexplainable reason it did, then Lisbon knew she would have been out of a job.  
   
At least the case seemed to have really brought the team together, in spite of all the difficulties it had thrown up along the way. Lisbon was secretly thrilled when Van Pelt immediately took Douglas under her wing and the two women were enjoying their fledgling friendship now. Cho, though clearly disappointed at the loss of his partner, had thrown himself into work and grown closer to Lisbon once more. Even Jane had begun to mellow to Douglas now he'd had the chance to try and get a proper read of her. Part of her believed he would never be rid of that initial suspiciousness but she figured that came down to his inability to trust the vast majority of people. In reality, she knew that he only really trusted her and to a lesser extent, Rigsby, Van Pelt and Cho. The change in staffing had knocked him more than he would ever have cared to admit.  
   
But at least he had been willing to join them for their closed case celebrations. Van Pelt had insisted that they go out for a proper meal instead of just pizza or donuts. She'd justified it by saying that it was the first case they'd closed since Douglas had started and therefore, it was that little more special than usual. Reluctantly, Lisbon had agreed with this sentiment; she also hoped that such an event would end up being a morale booster as everybody was still trying to find their place. Lisbon knew that they all needed to feel like they knew Douglas inside out, and vice versa. Implicit trust was a necessity in this line of work. However good Douglas had looked on paper – and however well she had presented herself during the interviewing process – the employment could still just not work. There was a reason they had a mandatory trial period, after all. But it wasn’t all down to Lilith Douglas to make it work, though. As team leader, she had to make this transition period as easy as possible.

Van Pelt had clearly thought this evening through. She’d booked them a table at a nice restaurant and had already told them it would be followed by drinks at a bar nearby. All Lisbon hoped now was that everybody remained sensible enough throughout the evening; she was still expecting them in work bright and early in the morning. Having learned from her father’s mistakes at a very young age – and having almost fallen off the straight and narrow in recent years – Lisbon knew how to moderate her intake of alcohol. That was why she was currently nursing her first and only glass of cabernet sauvignon. Once they moved onto the bar, she had already made plans for her escape. After all, she had a reputation to uphold.

“You okay?” Jane asked and it jolted Lisbon out of her reverie. “You’re a little quiet.”

Lisbon shrugged. “You can talk.”

“Well, if I recall correctly, I’d already said I would have preferred to stay at the office and look over my notes. You were the one who insisted I came along.”

“Van Pelt would have been disappointed if you hadn’t,” she replied in a hushed breath.

“I get the feeling that she wouldn’t have been the only one.”

He was right, and inevitably so. It wasn’t just that she enjoyed his company more than the others, mostly out of a warm sense of familiarity. It was also because she knew they all had to work hard to make Douglas feel welcome and she could sense that Jane would be the sticking point in the whole operation. During his very first case with her, he had already scared off one of her agents for good, but in that situation she had almost been grateful for it. After all, Hannigan had been stuck in the old ways and resented having a younger, female boss. Being able to part company with him, on his terms, had been a blessing in disguise. And besides, Van Pelt, his replacement, had been a valuable asset to the team. She was determined that the newest employee would fit in just as well as Van Pelt had all those years ago.

And she was still slightly apprehensive about the concept of Jane hiding himself away from her again. Their trust for one another had been put to the test time and time again, and Lisbon didn’t want it to be irreconcilably broken over something she literally had no control over. Besides, as Sarah Harrigan had pointed out, she’d owed her. The very least she could have done for the woman was let Rigsby leave with good graces. Now, she just had to work on making it all easier on Jane. Briefly, she glanced across the table to where Cho, Van Pelt and Douglas were deep in conversation and Lisbon smiled slightly. It hadn’t taken them long to form a bond and she was grateful for that.

“She’s not a bad person, Jane. None of us wanted Rigsby to leave, but it was his choice,” she said simply. “You of all people should understand the importance of family.”

He fell silent briefly, and Lisbon felt a little guilty for playing that specific card. It was a low blow, but sometimes that kind of thing was needed just to make Jane see sense. When he smiled sadly back at her and shook his head, she was almost relieved that he had seemingly thrown away the tension of the moment so easily. Gently, he reached out and touched her arm with two fingers and she was surprised that he was the one offering her comfort instead of vice versa. But then, he had probably read her expression like a pro and realized that she felt like she had stepped over the line on this occasion.

“It shouldn’t have come to that though.”

“But it did,” she asserted, remembering not to remind Jane that it was partially (and if not, mostly) his fault that Rigsby had left at all. “And I’m sure we’ll be fine with Agent Douglas on the team.”

“She and Van Pelt seem to be getting along like a house on fire,” Jane murmured and nodded his head in their direction.

“Yeah,” Lisbon said in agreement. “Van Pelt’s probably pleased that she is no longer technically the rookie anymore.”

The rest of the meal passed without any consequence. Lisbon noted that Jane barely touched his food or his drink, but he did seem to relax at least. She was glad that he had finally decided to put some effort into socializing with the others, but she made a mental note to ensure that she thrust him into the situation a little more during cases. Perhaps if he actually worked with Douglas one to one for a bit, then he would realize exactly why she had chosen to hire her. The woman was confident and competent and was making every effort within the workplace. The very least she could expect was that her colleagues would do the same. And Van Pelt seemed to have taken it upon herself to ensure that Douglas was comfortable. Lisbon briefly wondered if that had anything to do with the fact that she was missing Rigsby. In spite of their romantic relationship ending a long while ago, it was still clear that the redhead held a candle for Wayne Rigsby and Lisbon couldn’t blame her for that. It was difficult to get over first loves. There were times when even she wondered what would have happened if she had gone through with the marriage to Greg. However, Lisbon knew that she had ultimately made the right decision. This job was what she had been made for.

Before they even made it to the bar, Jane drifted off without even bothering to make an excuse to anyone but her. Lisbon knew Jane; he was probably going to bury his head in the Red John case files once again; it was something he often did when he was maudlin. His leaving didn’t surprise her, but she could tell that Van Pelt was more than a little bit disappointed by his sudden disappearing act. She wanted to make her excuses too, but felt compelled to stay a little longer. She partially wanted to leave because she wanted to look through some case notes for their remaining open cases; just because they were celebrating the closure of one, it didn’t stop there from being other things to focus on. But also, she was feeling the events of the day catching up with her; Jane’s tricks always stretched her physically and emotionally. It wasn’t something that Lisbon dared to admit to Jane, but it didn’t stop it from having an affect either.

“You okay, boss?” Van Pelt asked quietly.

“Huh? Oh I’m fine.”

“Can I get you another drink?”

Lisbon glanced down at her soda water. The glass was half empty – or half full, depending on your point of view – and she didn’t really have any intention of finishing it either. She shook her head, but thanked Van Pelt for her consideration. Slowly, Lisbon stood up and picked up her jacket and purse. She had been here for a good hour now, and figured that she had at least respected Van Pelt and her meticulous plans now. It wasn’t going to be too rude of her to leave now. And besides, she didn’t always attend the team’s closed case celebrations anyway. ‘The price of power’ was what she called it. Sometimes, she had to make the sacrifices in her social life, just to make the team work. They were all well aware of it and Van Pelt had been pleased that she had agreed to come in the first place anyway.

“I’m going. Thank you, Grace. It’s been… nice,” Lisbon said carefully. “You’re good at organizing these things.”

“No, thank you for coming,” Van Pelt replied quickly and briefly touched her on the arm. “I didn’t think you would.”

“I’ll see you in the morning. No excuses, okay?”

“Okay. Have you seen Lilith anywhere? I was meant to be giving her a ride home…”

She shook her head and slipped out of the room. Briefly, she closed her eyes. Lisbon could feel a headache beginning to develop in the back of her head, but she decided that it wouldn’t trouble her anyway. She was going to be in bed soon, and a good night’s sleep always managed to get rid of them for her. Vaguely, she considered whether or not she actually had the energy to go into work again, as she had initially planned. Lisbon shook her head; the cases could wait until morning. She decided immediately that she would merely set her alarm earlier and get an extra hour or so in before the rest of the team arrived. Besides, she was half expecting them to arrive late anyway. Excepting Jane, the others had already had a relatively substantial amount to drink. They had barely noticed that she had spent most the night on soft drinks, apart from that one glass of wine. But naturally, that was a good thing.

The drive home was uneventful and she was glad when she finally parked up in front of her home. Heading straight home was definitely the right decision; she could already feel her head getting worse. When she walked through her front door, she almost slipped on something. Frowning, Lisbon leant down and picked it up. In between her thumb and forefinger, she rolled a little red glass bead and frowned. The last time she had heard any significance to them had been a couple of years ago, with Jane fabricating a story about Red John’s followers carrying one on them at all times. Quickly, she shook her head and placed it on the side. Last year, Annabeth had given her a necklace and bracelet set with multicolored beads for her birthday and it was probably from that. There was nothing suspicious about it at all. Instead, Lisbon promptly headed up to bed.

What she didn’t notice was that her safe had been tampered with, never mind what somebody had placed inside of it.


	5. Part Four

_ _

_Two months later_  
   
"Jane, have you seen Douglas?" Lisbon asked.  
   
Jane cracked open one eye to observe her and Lisbon resisted the desire to sigh heavily. She was used to him treating her requests with significant disdain regularly and now, she didn't care how he reacted just so long as he got the job done. It also helped that he was one of her closest friends, and the few people she actually trusted, not that she had ever told him that. Lisbon knew that there were some things he found arduous and pointless; it was only towards the end of cases when he connected with them properly. This time around, she wasn’t after much of him, just a simple yes or no answer would do. However, Lisbon knew from previous experience that simple answers were some of the most difficult to get out of Patrick Jane. He closed his eyes again and it was then that she sighed heavily.   
   
"Jane!"  
   
"Oh, she's following up a lead. I thought you knew that?"

There was a slight hint of disappointment in his voice; like she had somehow let him down. Lisbon tried to ignore it; it wasn’t up to Jane to judge her on that front. She knew she was good at her job, and that was the main thing.  
   
"On her own?" Lisbon questioned, surprised.  
   
"Relax, my dear Lisbon. It's a good experience for her."  
   
"But she has only been working for the CBI for just over two months!" she retorted.  
   
Part of Lisbon was relieved that Jane had managed to set aside his differences with Agent Douglas; in fact, for the past three weeks they had been getting on immensely well. However, this lack of communication was irritating her. She was used to it when it came to Jane, but not her subordinates. Intuition was a facet she liked in her coworkers, but she still liked to be kept in the loop. That meant she knew if things were going well, and if they weren’t, then she was ready to apply damage control. Right now, she didn't even know which case Douglas was chasing up, never mind what specific lead. And Jane had already dosed off once again, leaving her none the wiser.

With a heavy sigh, she stalked back to her office and flopped in her chair. Immediately, she dialed Douglas' number, but wasn't entirely surprised when she received no answer. If Jane was right and she was chasing up some sort of lead, then she was probably too busy to even answer to her boss. Lisbon just hoped that the moment when Lilith Douglas received her message, the woman would phone her straight back. But then, Douglas was more self-assured and confident than Van Pelt had ever been when she first joined the unit. Lisbon had quickly learned that Douglas was quite similar to Jane in the sense that they both acted first then thought about the repercussions after. It was probably why they were getting along so well now.   
   
Lisbon quickly put all thoughts of Douglas and Jane aside for one moment. There was not much she could do until she knew more about the situation in hand. Instead, she focused on her current task and that was preparing for a meeting with the ADA about her current cases. She looked at her notes and her heart sank just a little when she read the name of her contact in the DA’s office for the upcoming court cases. The assigned ADA was none other than Sarah Harrigan, Rigsby’s current partner and his reason for leaving the unit in the first place. Lisbon wasn't quite sure if she was ready to face her again yet, but it did offer her the opportunity to find out how Rigsby and young Benjamin were doing.   
   
The courtesy phone call with Harrigan went better than Lisbon expected. She was relieved to hear that Sarah held no grudges against her personally, and considered her debt repaid by Lisbon’s letting Rigsby leave so easily. The crux of her problems with the CBI's Serious Crimes Unit remained Patrick Jane and Lisbon doubted her venom for the man would ever fade. Despite being a somewhat reformed conman, Jane still had a remarkable ability at creating enemies for himself in seemingly harmless people. Even though it didn't always feel like it, it wasn't just Red John who held a personal vendetta against Jane. But then, Lisbon knew that as warped as their perception of Jane was, she could only see the innate goodness inside of him. Therefore, she was just as biased about him as any one of his personal enemies was.  
   
"Send my love to Wayne and Ben," Lisbon concluded once the professional details of the call had been dealt with.  
   
"Will do, see you in two weeks, Teresa," Sarah replied and the call ended.   
   
Carefully, she placed the receiver back down and glanced back at her cellphone. There were no messages from Douglas and the thought annoyed her. As much as working alone on a lead was a good experience for her, it was still risky. Douglas was woefully inexperienced and besides, it was only under extreme circumstances that they worked alone anyway. In the field, it was generally considered to be good working practice to work in a pair, at the very least. You never knew when a situation might just get out of hand. Without trustworthy backup, anything could go wrong. And as long as Douglas remained out of contact, the more Lisbon worried about her general well-being.   
   
Lisbon distracted herself by reading up on some notes from one of their current cases. It was a child murder and Van Pelt was the one who was working tirelessly hard on it. Child killings always affected each member of the team; there was something about the death of an innocent child which spurred them on to work harder. Grace's groundwork for this case was solid and it seemed like she was building a firm case against the girl's once-absent father. If that was the case, then Lisbon couldn't help but be a little bit saddened by what had happened. It always seemed a little bit sick when parents turned on their own children. That was something that she knew from very personal experience and she had the scars to prove it.  
   
"Boss, I got something.”  
   
Lisbon immediately looked up to see Van Pelt herself hovering at the door with a file in hand. Immediately, she beckoned the redhead forwards and Grace placed some stills from the security camera footage from a local firearms store on her desk. It had been recently broken into and the grainy pictures showed a man in his late forties stealing a weapon and bullets to match. Though the blown up pictures were not of especially good quality, it was clear that the thief was also their perpetrator. And as with Van Pelt's previous work, it was the father of the deceased. He had stolen the gun a matter of hours before he had shot his two year old daughter in the face three times. And that was simply because the mother would not allow him access and thus, he had decided that if he couldn't have her, then neither of them could. Her heart broke a little; she hated seeing this kind of thing happen. It also served as a timely reminder about just how lucky she and her brothers were to escape their father’s iron grasp, regardless of how much it hurt when he’d died.  
   
"Good work, Van Pelt. Go bring him in. Take Cho with you."  
   
A matter of seconds after Van Pelt left, Lilith Douglas crept into her office with a forlorn expression on her face. It didn't take somebody with Jane's skills to be able to work out that she had spent most of the day on a fool's errand. Maybe if she had actually bothered to consult her, then Lilith wouldn't have wasted all of her precious time. Regardless, Lisbon invited her to sit down. They had to talk about this mess, however unpleasant it was going to be for the both of them. Lisbon hated lecturing her subordinates, but it was a necessary evil of the job. Once Douglas had settled down opposite her, she told her to talk and the words spilled out of the rookie’s mouth.  
   
"I'm sorry, boss," she muttered after she had explained herself. "I thought my hunch-"  
   
"Yours or Jane’s?" Lisbon interrupted.   
   
"Mine,” Douglas immediately answered; trying to make sure that Jane wasn’t blamed for any of her misdeeds. Lisbon, having worked with Jane for more than long enough, remained skeptical. “Jane had nothing to do with this."  
   
"Except for the simple fact he encouraged you to waste your time on a task which, ultimately, ended in a dead end?"  
   
"It was all my idea. I only told him because I couldn't find you."  
   
"Why did you even think the babysitter might have a motive when you knew Grace was building a case against the father?" Lisbon asked.  
   
"I don't know. I just got the impression that he didn't really like kids."  
   
They both fell silent for a second. Memories of her first major case – William McTeer – flooded back to her. A serial pedophile and child rapist, he had been her first big break. He ingratiated himself in the lives of children, only to abuse them once he had gained his trust. Lisbon always hated the fact that the victims had piled up, while she remained powerless. Until, of course, she had finally gotten the crucial evidence which had sent him packing to Pelican Bay. While the babysitter was obviously not the killer, that didn’t mean he didn’t have ulterior motives in being so close to the young child.   
   
"Fine. Keep digging; he may not be guilty of murder, but it could be something else,” she eventually relented. “Next time, talk to me first, though."  
   
"Thank you, boss."  
   
"Go get on with your work before I change my mind," Lisbon instructed.  
   
"Yes boss." Lilith turned to face her before leaving. "Oh can I borrow your cellphone for a while? Mine has run out of battery and I need to phone my mom who is sick? She’s being admitted to hospital for an operation tomorrow."  
   
Lisbon considered it for a second. Lilith Douglas was asking for a big favor only moments after being reprimanded. However, she also knew the importance of family, and that was what ultimately swung her decision.  
   
"Okay but I need it back in ten minutes. No later."

Once Douglas disappeared, Lisbon immersed herself back in her work. She became so engrossed in it that a considerable amount of time passed. She barely noticed that Douglas had yet to return her cellphone; certainly not within the ten minute timespan she had been ordered to give it back. It was only when she had had another thought about the upcoming court proceedings and wanted to send Sarah a message that she even thought about it. She sighed heavily and headed straight to the bullpen, intent on finding the conspicuously absent rookie. Douglas had said she required the phone for just five minutes, no more and no less. It was only when she saw the landline phone on Douglas' empty desk that she wondered precisely why she needed it. While the CBI frowned upon the use of their phone lines for personal use, they also understood that sometimes, it was a necessary evil. They couldn't begrudge somebody a brief five minute call with a sick relative, however recently they had joined the institution.  

However, the bullpen didn't offer privacy. Even though Van Pelt and Cho were out and tracking down their killer, there was still a lot of people drifting in and out of the area. It was entirely likely that Douglas had wanted a cellphone in order to slip away somewhere more private, just in case she received bad news. And if she had received bad news, then she probably wanted some time alone to mull it over instead of being forced into the company of Jane, Ron and several others. Or at least, that was what Lisbon told herself. Being suspicious of Jane in spite of their implicit trust was one thing, especially with his track record. It was another entirely if she started doubting her subordinates; they were people she was meant to trust completely.

But Douglas was still painfully new. Lisbon was yet to discover what her agenda was or her reasons for joining the CBI. Every one of the agents there had a story behind them, a reason why they believed in the law. Only very special people were drawn to law enforcement and that applied even more so to those who specialized in homicides. Lisbon simply hadn't had the time to completely figure out Douglas and it frustrated her a little. Her files had given away very little about the woman in question, and Lisbon knew that was very unusual.

"Hey, has anyone seen Douglas recently?"

Jane propped himself up on his elbow to regard her. "Didn't we go through this a couple of hours ago?"

Lisbon shot him a dirty glare but otherwise pretended to ignore him. She didn't have time for Jane's cheek and besides, she was getting increasingly annoyed by Douglas and her behavior. It may have shown she was settling in, but regardless, she still had to answer to her boss. Jane may have had his own set of rules but the others had a strict hierarchy to adhere to.

"Ron, call Douglas and find out where the hell she has got to. I want her back in the office within the hour. Otherwise, she'll face disciplinary action, which is not good this early in her career."

It may have been a little harsh of her to tell the girl's colleagues that she could potentially be facing a severe reprimand. However, nothing seemed to stay secret within the bullpen for long anyway. Lisbon trusted that Ron would diligently pass on the message; he was far more reliable than Jane. If courteous Ron couldn't get her back, or at least get an explanation for her whereabouts, then nobody could. Except, maybe, Grace Van Pelt, but she was currently busy.

She headed straight back to her office and behind her desk. Nothing had changed in her five minute interlude; she hadn’t even received a single email in that time, but that wasn’t necessarily unusual. Instead, Lisbon placed her fingers on her temples and applied a little pressure to them. She would do anything to try and prevent her headache from developing into a migraine. Five minutes later, Ron interrupted her, only to inform her, somewhat apologetically, that he hadn't been able to get a hold of Lilith Douglas.

Ten minutes after Ron’s interruption, her phone rang. Frowning, Lisbon answered the call to hear a stressed and tearful Agent Douglas on the other end of the line.

"It's Red John," she explained, and there was a slight tremor in her voice. "He’s killed my mom."


	6. Part Five

 

"Why?" Lisbon asked Jane bluntly. "Why has he killed Agent Douglas' mom? What is the message behind it?"

Jane shrugged his shoulders but Lisbon knew he was already thinking about the whys behind it. The notorious serial killer, Red John, simply did not kill for the sake of killing, or at least, he didn't do that anymore. There was usually a hidden message behind it and that message was usually for Patrick Jane himself. Lisbon squeezed her eyes shut as the image of Lorelei Martins' butchered body flooded the forefront of her mind. Jane had literally spent months and months grooming her, with the hope that one day; she would give up Red John to them. And on the day that she agreed to give up the identity of her serial killer associate, they had discovered her dead. That had been his way of telling them that, in his eyes, no cost was too great. And that, however solid a lead may have seemed and however determined they were that this time, they would capture him, he would always find a way to slip between their fingers.

"Jane," she stated softly.

"Sorry, just thinking," he answered back.

"Well, speaking would be good right now."

Lisbon glanced briefly out of the door to the master bedroom. Somewhere in the hallway, Lilith Douglas was sobbing and in shock, and Grace Van Pelt was attempting to comfort the poor woman. Her closest relative, her only living family, had been murdered simply because she had chosen to join their unit. As far as Lisbon was concerned, it was cruel and senseless. The woman had been dying from cancer anyway; he had just sped up the process. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a tiny voice argued that Red John had cut short her suffering, but Lisbon ignored it. As far as she was concerned, Douglas had been stolen of the last few months she could have spent with her mother, and vice versa. Regardless of how sick her mother was, it didn't change the fact that it was cruel murder, especially as Douglas was only suffering because of who she worked with.   
   
Jane crept around the body carefully, trying desperately to take it all in. As usual, it was practically perfect in every way. Red John had left them with absolutely nothing to work with. Lisbon clenched her fists several times as the tension in her body built up. Just what was she meant to say to her rookie? She couldn't promise that they would catch him, and that they would bring her mother's killer to justice. He had eluded them for so long that it was clear that it would just be a petty lie. What, exactly, was different about this time around? Nothing. They all knew it, even if none of them wanted to admit it out loud.  
   
"Red John always wants to hurt the unit as a whole, not just me," Jane eventually answered and Lisbon nodded in response.   
   
That was something she had figured out a while ago, when Red John had used and abused Van Pelt's naïveté against her and Craig O'Laughlin had seduced her. While it was obvious that she had somehow managed to piece herself back together again, the damage had already been done. Grace was still scarred for life. She still found it notoriously hard to trust any man whatsoever, regardless of how genuine they appeared at face value. Lisbon felt responsible for her team and whenever he tried to hurt them - or worse - she couldn't help but blame herself. As far as she was concerned, she dragged them into this mess with her eyes wide open. She didn't have to willingly follow Jane on his quest for revenge; she chose to. As a consequence, her team followed her down this dark alleyway too. There were targets painted on each and every one of their backs, regardless of how long the team had been together.  
   
She shook her head violently; she couldn't afford to start thinking like that, not now. However much it felt like a lie to think that maybe next time would actually be this time, she had to put all her energies into the case. Otherwise, they would never have a chance to capture him and they might as well give up now. Lisbon left Jane working with the body and went to call Cho, who was dealing with the killer father at present; they needed to get moving on Red John now. The call to Cho was predictably swift; he’d already managed to get a confession out of the man responsible for his own daughter’s death. Now, he was in the middle of preparing the transfer papers in Lisbon’s absence. At least that was some good news; it was one more case closed and one less thing to worry about.

"Cho, I want you to do a background check on Mary Douglas; find out if there are any other reasons why she was targeted by Red John,” she said as a conclusion. “Jane and I will go to the hospital, speak to the staff there."  
   
Cho acquiesced immediately, but Lisbon could tell by the tone of his voice that he felt uncomfortable with the task he had been assigned. After all, it felt like an invasion of his coworker's privacy and Lisbon knew just how much Kimball Cho respected everybody he worked with. Just because he sometimes crossed certain rules in order to close a case, it didn't mean he didn't still have that inherent respect inside of him. That was what Cho was like; he did whatever he felt was right, regardless of what the rulebook said. And usually, his instincts proved to be correct.  
   
Slowly, she made her way back to Jane, who was still kneeling beside the body of Mary Douglas. Deep down, Lisbon knew that Cho wouldn't find out anything they didn't know already. Red John had killed the woman because every single member of the CBI's Serious Crimes Unit had to be tainted by the serial killer in some way. It was as simple as that. However, if by some remote reason they were able to discover how Red John had come across the woman, then maybe, there was a half a chance that they could close the net on him.   
   
It was still highly unlikely though. They all knew that.   
   
Quietly, Lisbon and Jane left Van Pelt to hold down the fort at the Douglas family residence. Douglas herself opted to stay with her, and Lisbon was almost relieved by that decision. She knew Lilith had a reckless streak and the last thing they needed her to do was do something stupid and compromise the case. If for some remote reason, Red John was apprehended, they didn't want him getting off on a technicality. At least this way, it gave Douglas a way to clear her thoughts and make some serious decisions. That included whether or not she wanted to stay with the team at all; nobody would blame her if she chose to leave after this.

The visit to the hospital proved to be, ultimately, a fruitless enterprise. The doctors merely confirmed that the woman was in the middle of receiving brutal chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, and that the disease had spread. Any treatment she was receiving was designed to prolong her life, not to save it. Red John had murdered a woman whose condition had become terminal. She was going to die anyway. Regardless of that simple fact, Lisbon couldn't help but feel guilty for being partially responsible for allowing her agent's mother's death to be sped up. It was a tragic situation for her to be in. If they had already caught Red John, put him behind bars and sent him to death row, then he wouldn't have been capable of doing this. Instead, Mary Douglas would have been able to live out those last precious few months with her only child.

With a heavy sigh, they headed back to the SUV. Jane was still in a quiet, pensive mood. Normally, during a Red John case, he was a little more wired than this and it almost worried Lisbon. But then, that almost seemed like a contradiction. After all, she was usually worried because he was behaving too recklessly during a Red John case, threatening to either kill the serial killer or compromise the case to the extent that Red John could eventually walk free. Instead, it seemed like Jane had already decided that it was futile, this time wouldn't be the 'next time' that Lisbon frequently promised him. She hated the fact that so many people she knew were suffering all because of one person. And yet, there was nothing she could do about it. She didn't know the identity of Red John, didn't know where he resided, his age, his race, his religion or even what he looked like. The serial killer was an enigma who hid behind bloody smiley faces - and on the rare occasions that he did make a 'public' appearance, a mask with a voice modulator installed.

It was getting late by the time they reached the headquarters once more. Sometimes, it was surprising just how long certain aspects of case investigations took, even if they didn't have to travel that far afield. When visiting the hospital where Mary Douglas was being treated, they had been passed from pillar to post until they found the man that they needed to speak to. And even then, they had to wait a couple of hours, simply because the good doctor had justifiably prioritized his seriously ill patients over their murder investigation. The living could receive treatment, could have something done to help them. There was nothing that could be done to help the dead. Even catching the murderer only served to uphold the law and seek justice for the family and friends of the deceased.

"You okay, Jane?" she asked quietly as they headed up to their floor.

"Hm, fine."

"You don't sound all that convincing," Lisbon answered back.

Jane shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. It was a long while before he bothered to speak to her again. Lisbon couldn't blame him for that; he had a lot on his mind and she knew it. After all, they were all in that situation. She hoped that he would at least try and get some sleep, instead of merely immersing himself in the case files. In truth, the only reason she had returned to the headquarters was to pick up some files for her to read before she headed to bed herself. She knew that she needed to ensure she was at least rested if she wanted to be able to tackle this case - or any case - properly. But that didn't mean that Jane had the same principles; that was something that Lisbon had learned a very long while ago.

"Don't worry, Lisbon. I will be fine. One day," he said gently.

"I know," she said softly, and all she could do was hope that it was the truth. In reality, she wasn't actually entirely sure what direction that Patrick Jane was headed in. He was a loose cannon and there were times when it seemed he was only destined for disaster. That was something which he most certainly didn't deserve, but that didn't necessarily mean that fate actually agreed with her. She drifted away to her office as he stopped off at the kitchenette to presumably, get himself a hot cup of tea. It was only when she was back in the bullpen with the files in question in her hand that she paused to give him a few, final, instructions.

"Don't stay here tonight; go to your motel room. Get some proper rest."

"Yes, boss," he answered back and Lisbon still didn't believe him.

The drive home was uneventful and her cellphone – reclaimed from a tearful Agent Douglas – remained mercifully quiet. She didn’t need any more stress at the moment, whether it was familial, work, or otherwise. And now she was headed home, Lisbon had realized just how tired she was. Worrying about all the agents in her team had really taken its toll on her and now, she was feeling emotionally drained and justifiably so. In the end, the files, along with her badge and handcuffs, were discarded on her couch and she headed straight to bed. Lisbon didn’t even have the energy to fix herself a dinner. In a way, it was hypocritical; she was always lamenting Jane’s lack of personal care, but at that moment in time, it didn’t bother her. Sleep felt more crucial than having something to eat.

She didn’t sleep well; for at least three hours, she tossed and turned, unable to actually settle down. It was utterly typical; when she needed to sleep the most, of course it eluded her. Jane wasn’t the only one to suffer from insomnia, even if Lisbon’s was only rare and occasionally. She swore she could hear noises downstairs, but dismissed it as a part of her overactive imagination and sleep deprivation. Eventually, when she had finally managed to drift off, she received a prompt and rude awakening in the form of her cellphone ringing sharply. Lisbon groaned, grabbed the device and answered it with a hoarse voice.

The caller was the director of the CBI, Gale Bertram. And if Bertram was ringing her personally, Lisbon knew that generally only meant very bad things.

“Red John has killed again,” he said, sharp and clear, despite it being 3.21 a.m.

“I know, we’re investigating the death of Mary Douglas-“ Lisbon started, but was soon cut off.

“There’s been another murder,” he spoke, making it clear that he was disappointed in her lack of comprehension. “The victim is rumored to be ADA Sarah Harrigan. You need to nail this man, Agent Lisbon. It’s been going on for far too long.”

From the moment she heard Sarah’s name, Lisbon felt her blood run cold. Just a few hours ago, she had been talking to Wayne Rigsby’s partner, and now she was dead.

Just what games was Red John playing with them?


	7. Part Six

"What's wrong, Lisbon?" Jane asked as he fell into step beside her.  
   
They were on their way up to Wayne Rigsby and Sarah Harrigan's apartment. Lisbon had dreaded this from the moment she had heard about it. She just wasn't ready to see somebody she cared about, dead, and butchered by Red John. But then, whoever would be ready for such a thing? Still, she pushed these feelings aside. She had a job to do and now, she was determined to bring about justice for the individuals involved. Red John had changed MO and there was a reason for it. If they could figure it out, then there was the distinct possibility of them getting that one step closer to the serial killer. Then, they would finally be able to serve up justice for all the families involved, Rigsby and Jane included.  
   
On face value, the reasoning for the serial killer’s change in MO seemed obvious. Red John had discovered the change in staffing at the CBI and he did not approve of it. It was possible that he saw the whole team as his people and not just Jane alone. After all, he had never really shown a desire to attack any one of them directly; the closest he had gotten was asking Jane to kill her, and they both knew that was something that would never happen. Therefore, this time around, he could easily have been trying to spook Agent Douglas into leaving by killing her sick mom and then spur Wayne Rigsby back into action by killing his partner and the mother of his only son.   
   
"I couldn't find my badge this morning. It's annoying me," she answered back as they stepped into the elevator.   
   
In truth, it was just her most minor of quibbles for the day. However, that didn't stop it from being an irritation. The badge was as much a part of her identity as her gun and handcuffs. They confirmed her role as a homicide investigation agent and made her feel the part. Without it, it made her feel that little less professional and a little less like herself. But in the whole scheme of things, it was unimportant. When she spotted the ashen Wayne Rigsby standing in the doorframe of his apartment, she almost forgot about it entirely. Ben wasn't with him and she presumed that the little lad had been left with a relative or a neighbor. Or at least, that was what she hoped. If the poor child had seen the body of his deceased mother, then he would inevitably have been scarred for life. She murmured her apologies to Rigsby and she could only hope he knew just how genuine they were. Of course, whenever she apologized to a mourning friend or relative, she meant it, but it was still different in this case.   
   
Cho and Douglas had arrived at Rigsby's apartment - the scene of the crime - shortly before she and Jane had. They had already started to scour the place for clues and it surprised Lisbon a little. She had half expected one of them - Cho, probably, given the fact they had been partners before he'd left the CBI - to be comforting Rigsby. However, she wasn’t disappointed in either of them. At least they were working hard and scouring the place for any clues that there could possibly be. They were after justice; just because Rigsby had recently left them, it didn’t mean that they didn’t still consider him to be one of their own.  
   
In spite of the shock he had just endured, Rigsby appeared to be in no need of comfort or pithy phrases of apology at all. He knew just as well as any of them did that no amount of comfort could bring Sarah back from the dead. Despite how pale he appeared, his face was set in a look of rigid determination. He took her by the arm and led her to his empty kitchen. Lisbon was more than happy to follow and besides, she had a feeling she knew what Rigsby wanted. And she couldn’t blame him in the slightest for that.  
   
"We need to find him, boss," Rigsby said without preamble. "Red John needs to be brought to justice."  
   
"I know, Wayne," she answered back softly and stared him straight in the eye. "But I'm not your boss. Not anymore."  
   
It seemed a little silly to get caught up in pedantics, especially given the circumstances, but she hadn't been able to help herself. Besides, it was intentionally a leading statement. If Rigsby wanted to ask a very specific question, then she wanted him to hurry up and just do it. Regardless of his status within (or not, as the case was) the unit, she still had a job to do. And he had to let her do it if he wanted her to bring Sarah's killer to justice. This conversation was only serving to stall her from doing just that.  
   
"I know and you said there was always a place for me in your team," he started.   
   
"I did," she confirmed.   
   
Rigsby sighed and Lisbon could tell he was torn when it came to this decision. On the one hand, he wanted to be involved in the Red John investigation. Like Jane, he wanted to help firsthand. If entirely possible, he would have been more than willing to strangle Red John with his bare hands. However, Sarah had explicitly pulled him out of the CBI in order to save their relationship. He had sought out another position just to please her. She hadn't even been dead for two hours and already, he wanted to go back on his word. Eventually, the desire for justice won out.   
   
"I need to come back. Please, boss. I need to help."  
   
"Wayne, I know you want to help, but-"  
   
"Don't you dare call me a victim," he growled and Lisbon was startled by his tone.   
   
But then, Rigsby was well within his rights to speak to her like that. At this moment in time, she was not his boss and besides, he was bitterly angry. She had been tempted to mention it, but even so, every one of her team - Douglas included - had been touched by Red John. To exclude him based on that reasoning was nothing short of hypocrisy. Regardless, that wasn't her current issue. There were no vacancies on her team. Just because Douglas was still within her probationary period, Lisbon wasn't about to dismiss her. The woman's record may not have been entirely clean in this time, but she still hadn't done enough to deserve losing her job. Besides, she was showing every sign of developing into a good agent. She just had to temper the headstrong nature slightly and learn how to listen to instructions properly.   
   
Of course, that didn't mean she didn't want Rigsby back in her team. They all missed him. If she could have had them both, then she would have. Half of her hoped that Red John's potential plans for the unit had worked and that Douglas would decide to leave, even if that did mean the killer got precisely what he wanted. But the rest of her hated the fact it would show he had such a control over all of their lives. Regardless of what Douglas did in the near future, when it came to Rigsby, her hands were tied. She couldn’t just give Rigsby what he wanted there and then; it wasn’t within her power to do so and they both knew it.

“It’s not that easy, Wayne.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just…” His sentence died before he even had a chance to finish it. She nodded slightly at him and went to join the rest of her team. Lisbon hated this, even more so since Sarah had died. It had been bad enough that Red John had dragged Douglas into his sordid mess, but now the serial killer was getting closer and closer to the very heart of the team. She couldn’t help but wonder what was in store for the rest of them. Nothing good, she imagined, but since when was anything that was connected to Red John good?

She closed her eyes briefly, mentally preparing herself, before she stepped into Rigsby's master bedroom. However, she couldn't delay the inevitable for much longer; she had to see the crime scene with her own two eyes. As always, Sarah's body had been perfectly presented, like a macabre piece of artwork. Nothing was out of place and there was no sign of any sort of struggle. That was almost a surprise; Lisbon knew from experience that Sarah was a feisty woman, in spite of her petite stature. But then, if she had somehow been drugged, then she wouldn't have had a chance. To know for certain, Lisbon knew she would have to wait for the ME's report.  
   
Cho was busy making notes in the corner, pointing out items of interest that needed to be photographed for evidence. Meanwhile, Douglas was huddled under the bed, trying desperately to dig something out from underneath it. Lisbon could only wonder what was going on through her head; less than 24 hours ago, she had faced a not too dissimilar crime scene to this one, only her mother had taken center stage instead. The fact that she was here at all, soldiering on in spite of the grief that she was inevitably facing, said a lot. Lisbon had offered her the standard bereavement leave, almost demanded that she took it, but Douglas had refused to do so. Just like Rigsby, she had insisted that it was far more important for her to keep busy and ultimately, be distracted from the loss.   
   
Jane wasn't around, which was unusual given that it was yet another Red John crime scene, and more importantly, the deceased was somebody that they knew intimately. Usually, the rulebook was thrown out of the window and he behaved more erratically than usual. This time, Red John had killed twice in the space of 24 hours and he seemed entirely fine. He had disappeared off somewhere, much like he always did at any other crime scene. Hopefully, he was finding out how Red John had been able to infiltrate the Rigsby family home undisturbed. Or, alternatively he was busy making himself a cup of tea and thus, keeping himself out of trouble in the meantime. Eventually, Lisbon vacated the room and went in search of him. She knew that Cho was keeping the situation under control and could trust him to inform her if anything of importance came up.  
   
Before she reached for her cellphone, she briefly felt the spot where her badge should have been and sighed. It was funny how something so small could have such meaning and completely altered the way she felt about herself. However, it was something she knew she had to disregard in the meantime. As she had told herself before, there were far more important things for her to be worrying about. In the end, she didn't need to find her phone at all because Rigsby's neighbor’s door was ajar and she could hear Jane’s voice drifting out of it. It wasn't surprising in the slightest when she saw Jane sharing a cup of tea with the elderly woman inside.   
   
"Lisbon, come and meet Mrs. Warner," he said encouragingly, beckoning her forwards.  
   
"Hi," she answered tentatively before glaring at Jane. "It's nice to meet you."  
   
"Sit down, my dear, sit down."  
   
Lisbon ignored the request, but she had a feeling that Jane had been talking to the woman for a while. And she also suspected that there was half a chance that this woman had something to do with the case. Otherwise, why would Jane have spent so long with her?  
   
"Mrs. Warner has been friends with the Rigsby family for years, haven't you?"  
   
"Oh yes. I remember when young Wayne was just a baby. He was such a dear little thing. He always looks after me. And just yesterday, his grandpa came around. He wanted to surprise him as they hadn't seen each other in so long."  
   
"Oh?" Lisbon asked.   
   
"Only thing is, I thought young Wayne's grandpa died years ago. I can remember him coming here on the day of the funeral..." Mrs. Warner continued, only to quickly trail off.  
   
Immediately, Lisbon glanced at Jane with her eyebrow raised. Just as she had suspected, Jane had been looking for Red john's method of entry and he'd found it. The serial killer had plagued on Mrs. Warner's naïveté and possible early dementia and thus, slipped in and out, unnoticed. It was entirely possible that he had introduced himself as her son, or at least, an old family friend to anyone who grew suspicious. And now, they had a living witness to the serial killer; something which didn’t match up with any of Red John’s prior killings at all. However, like Rosalind Harker, this woman had obvious flaws which prevented her from being a reliable witness. Still, all they could do was hope that with some gentle persuasion, she would be able to remember precisely what her male visitor had looked like. Then, they would be another step further, just like they hoped. At least they now had an age range to be looking at for the serial killer; that was more information than they'd had for years, not since the Lorelei Martins debacle.   
   
"We would like to talk to you again, if possible?" Lisbon asked quietly.   
   
"Why, my dear? I thought you were just friends of Wayne's, coming to the party that his grandpa was throwing for him. Aren't we all going later?"  
   
For a second, Lisbon considered telling her that Sarah had been murdered and she was a key witness in a major case. However, the woman was already fretting and seemed deeply confused. For now, at least, she doubted they would get anything of use from her. Maybe later, they would be able to question her again, but it was a waste of time at the moment. Quickly, she thanked her for her time and exited the apartment. She wanted to get back to Rigsby's place with Jane in tow.

Once there, Cho and Douglas were huddled around one another, deep in discussion. Lisbon coughed slightly to indicate her presence and slowly, they turned around, almost surprised to see her back there. Douglas was hiding something behind her back and that only served to confuse Lisbon further. Why were they acting so cagily? It was almost as if they were behaving suspiciously of her – their own boss – for some reason. Slowly, Douglas revealed precisely what it was she was hiding and it was then that she was momentarily stunned.

Agent Douglas was holding her missing badge.


	8. Part Seven

"Teresa?" Jane turned around to face her and Lisbon took a step back.   
   
Had she been guilty, she would have immediately bolted for the door. After all, she was closest to the exit and it would have been the quickest means of escape. Of course, she wasn't, and she was just as puzzled, if not more so, than the rest of her team. She just couldn't comprehend any reason her badge could be there. Lisbon knew where she had left it: somewhere in her lounge. The last place she remembered putting it was on the couch, specifically. By the time she had been woken by Director Bertram's call, it had been spirited away. At the time, she had simply assumed that she had forgotten where she’d put it and naturally, she hadn’t had the time to go searching for it. Now, it seemed like it must have been stolen in the dead of the night. The very thought, for a security conscious Teresa Lisbon, was disconcerting to say the least.

It didn’t explain why it had found itself in Wayne Rigsby’s apartment, in a _crime scene_ , of all places though, however.  
   
Only one explanation seemed to make any sense to her whatsoever and that was the fact that she was being framed. Presumably, this was by Red John or at the very least, somebody from within his inner circle. What felt more troubling was the reasons why - and why, specifically, now? What had changed in order for Red John to do such a thing now? He knew that Jane trusted her implicitly and for the most part, she returned that trust to him. As far as Lisbon was concerned, they had an unbreakable bond now. He couldn't really believe that Patrick Jane would even consider for a second that, after all these years, she had secretly been working for Red John all along.   
   
Could he?  
   
But then, destroying Jane and his happiness seemed to be Red John's life's duty. He had made ruining Jane’s life into an art form. Whenever he showed any signs of healing, or even a little joy, Red John always went and wrecked it for him in one way or another. However, if Lisbon allowed herself to be just a little bit arrogant, then she had to admit to herself that she did make Jane happy. It wasn't something she would dare admit to out loud, of course, but a small part of her did know that and she was even proud of it. She had always thought it had been their little secret; that only they knew it was them against the world. Neither one of them had considered the fact that Red John had known that, despite everything Jane had done to abuse her trust, they still stood together, stronger than ever.  
   
She stared searchingly at Jane but his face seemed to remain blank. Cho took a step forwards and placed a hand gently on Lisbon's right shoulder. Almost immediately, she shrugged it off and glared at him. Cho was her right hand man; he shouldn't have doubted her, even for a second. Certainly, she wouldn't have reacted in this way had the shoe been on the other foot. Lisbon knew that she would have supported Cho to the ends of the Earth if she'd had to. But then, he was placed in a precarious dilemma. They had to unearth the real mystery behind this. However, she didn’t want to admit to herself that this was something that they simply had to do.  
   
"I think we need to go back to the office, boss," he said calmly and she shook her head in disgust. "Talk this through like mature adults."  
   
"No," she answered back stubbornly. "Kimball, you can't seriously be thinking I was responsible for this."

He stepped closer and once again, took hold of her elbow. As before, it was an unusually intimate move for the stoic Kimball Cho and this time, she didn't shrug him off. Instead, she stared directly at him; the confusion and the same slight hint of fear were both still present in her eyes. Lisbon hated it when she was out of control and she could already feel the situation slipping from her grasps. It didn't help that she was having a severe case of déjà vu; it wasn't the first time she had been framed for murder by unknown individuals. Last time, they had been capable of finding the real perpetrator but who was to say they would be as lucky again? It was especially nerve wracking, when she considered the fact that this time around, her opponent was probably Red John himself and not somebody looking to escape jail by wrecking her testimony.   
   
"Of course I don't, Teresa," he said quietly, his voice calm and soothing. "But we need to sort this out before it goes too far. You know that."  
   
She nodded and then they left together. Forensics had arrived and they were ready to do their thing. Now they had looked at the body and the property, found any ‘evidence’ they had required and spoken to some nearby residents, there was nothing else that Lisbon and her team could do. She was relieved that Cho had the common courtesy not to arrest her, despite the fact he clearly had grounds to do so, however tenuous they were. But then, she knew that he had always held her in the utmost respect; for him to do anything but that would have been contradictory to everything she knew about him. Meanwhile, Agent Douglas didn't once catch her eye since she had revealed the presence of her badge underneath the bed. Lisbon couldn't help but wonder: was Douglas really responsible for all this?   
   
It was a natural suspicion. Douglas was the only change in staffing to occur at the CBI in recent months. Red John could have easily slipped her in, and made her look like the only exceptional candidate suitable for employ. This could have been a plan they had hatched up a long while ago, even prior to Lorelei Martins’ death. Added to that, over the past couple of weeks or so, Lisbon had noticed that the woman was acting differently and had become less responsible than she had been when she had first joined them. And then, her mom had been brutally murdered by Red John and she had barely batted an eyelid in response.   
   
Except, her initial reaction to her mother’s death had been to cry, hadn't it? It was only after hours of comforting from Van Pelt that she had regained her resolve and decided to continue working this case. If she had known that Red John was planning to kill her mother, had orchestrated it even, would she have really reacted with such shock to the discovery? The fact that her mother had been very ill - and had recently taken a downhill turn prior to her death - could easily explain the erratic behavior. Every reaction which could somehow have been suspicious _did_ have some sort of plausible explanation. And yet, she couldn't help but wonder. Lisbon hated not being able to trust members of her unit. And yet, they were clearly expressing their doubt in her by escorting her back to the headquarters like a person of interest in one of their cases.   
   
Once back in the headquarters, Lisbon hid in her office for a while. Although she had an alibi - one that could have been confirmed by Gale Bertram no less - there was theoretically still a window of opportunity for her to have been able to assist in Sarah Harrigan's murder. Immediately, she agreed to take the polygraph, even if it was demeaning and proof that they didn't feel they could trust her to tell the truth. However, unlike last time she had been in this situation, she hadn't been suffering from blackouts. Therefore, she felt like she had nothing to hide.   
   
There was a quiet knock at her door and immediately she jerked her head upwards. Lisbon was surprised to see Jane standing there; usually he didn't have the common decency to knock and instead, he just walked straight in. Wordlessly, he sat opposite her and looked her directly in the eye. For most people, this would have been disconcerting, especially as it was Patrick Jane. For Lisbon, however, it wasn't too unnerving. She knew Jane and understood what he was doing. This was his way of making sure she was telling the truth, checking she hadn't been hypnotized or drugged. Eye contact, when it came to her at least, was also his way of expressing that he could be trusted and was on her side. Lisbon had been playing this game for long enough, after all.   
   
"So?" she asked bluntly.   
   
"Any blackouts?” he responded, answering her question with another. “Any chance somebody could have been drugging your coffee again?"  
   
She shook her head. "No, unless you have been leaving them unattended when you've been making me them."  
   
She didn't tend to accept drinks from strangers these days, not even from the rest of her team if she could help it. Jane, naturally, was the exception to this rule. Sometimes, she had to, at a relative of a victim's house, but she only did so if they were drinking from the same pot.   
   
"I don't think you've been drugged or hypnotized."  
   
"Well, there's a relief," she answered dryly.

"Lisbon..." Jane started.   
   
"You don't honestly believe I had anything to do with this, do you?"  
   
Lisbon knew that she needed the confirmation from Jane. Of everyone she knew, it was his opinion that meant the most, especially in this kind of situation. Red John set him off in ways that no other man could and as a consequence, even the slightest hint of a lead could skew his perception of everything else. He may have claimed to be able to read any person and trick them into doing what he wanted, but Lisbon was sure that even Jane was aware that he had a blind spot when it came to that specific serial killer. Therefore, she needed to know that he didn’t doubt her innocence in any way, shape or form. It was a statement that was literally that important to her.   
   
"No," he answered after some consideration. "I know you."  
   
She nodded. "Good," she said, before continuing. "Is this Red John or a copycat?"  
   
"The crime scenes match up to his MO. You know that, Teresa."  
   
"And we know he has a..." She paused, considering how to phrase it. "He has a vested interest in me."  
   
Though nightmares of her head in a box had plagued her for nearly a year now, this was the first time that she had actually dared to admit it out loud in some way, especially to Jane. For some time, she had lived in denial about Red John's interest in her, but eventually she had come to the conclusion that it was inevitable that he would at least be paying some attention to her. For nine years now, she had been the lead agent in charge of the investigation into his case. Adding Patrick Jane into the mix was akin to adding vinegar to bicarbonate of soda. It would inevitably lead to a sorry mess.   
   
She sighed. Lisbon felt that she should have known that something like this was going to happen sooner or later.  
   
"So what does he have planned?" she asked, while thinking, _'and why does he want_ me _involved?'_  
   
"I can't say. But it's been ten years since..." Jane said, trailing off as he did so.   
   
He didn't need to spell it out for her, but the casual reminder seemed to make perfect sense. It was almost ten years to the day since Red John had murdered his wife and child. Therefore, it only made sense that Red John would want to turn Jane's life upside down once again to mark the occasion.   
   
And she (and the rest of the team, to a lesser extent) was the only thing left for him to lose.   
   
It was also common knowledge that the best way to destroy a cop was not to take their life, but to smear their reputation. And she faintly suspected that Red John was planning to do just that, before he killed her. Then, she would die, forever tainted by whatever he had planned for her.   
   
Jane took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. "Whatever he has planned, I'll save you."  
   
That was something else that she partially needed to hear. An outright statement from Jane, that to him, she was still too high a cost. He wouldn't let Red John take her away from him. The only problem was that she wasn’t entirely sure that she could trust Jane to do the saving. As clever as he was with words, there were some situations that were just above him. Typically, she had always seen their relationship as him causing the problems and her saving him from whatever mess he’d caused.   
   
Would he really be able to get her out of Red John's clutches if it came down to it? Would his need for revenge ultimately override his promises? Or would he just not be capable of doing anything at all?  
   
"Boss?" Cho's voice suddenly cut through the air, and silenced any questions that were currently lingering in her mind. "They're ready for you."  
   
She was already exhausted; still not recovered from the early morning wake up call. They had been at the crime scene since 4am and now, it was still only 8am. However, Lisbon nodded and took the test. It seemed utterly ridiculous that they could even consider her being an acolyte of Red John's but she needed to prove her innocence.   
   
It wasn't long until they had finished examining the results; far quicker than usual. Then again, this was an extraordinary situation for her (and the CBI) to be in. They needed the results faster than usual.   
   
At midday, Cho and Bertram were in her small office, alongside herself and Jane.   
   
Lisbon was more stunned than anyone when Bertram announced she had failed the poly. She was to be placed under suspension, while awaiting investigation into supposed involvement with the serial killer more commonly known as Red John.


	9. Part Eight

"Teresa," Jane muttered the first moment they were left alone. "Don't worry, we can sort this. We can handle it. You can ask to retake the poly. I _know_ you were nervous and tired and that can affect the results. I’ll help you get through this."  
   
She distinctly remembered the last person who said that to her. Eventually, it had transpired that he had been involved in the attempt to frame her for murder, and he’d been the one who was actually responsible too. Lisbon shook her head. She wasn't about to go through the indignity of another poly. Instead, they had to find another way of proving her innocence. Her badge had been stolen; the voicemail messages found on her cellphone from an untraceable number by Van Pelt had been planted. All the evidence was circumstantial.   
   
But it wasn't circumstantial enough for her to not be placed under suspension. They had to investigate the issue thoroughly; prove that she had no connections to Red John whatsoever. Or otherwise, she considered. They didn't care if she was innocent or not. If she was guilty, they would have been more than happy to throw her to the wolves. They just needed to know either way, and then they could deal with her accordingly. Just because she knew the truth behind the matter, it didn’t mean that the CBI would necessarily believe it until they had hard evidence in front of them. Lisbon had been in the business for so long that she knew and understood this thoroughly.   
   
Jane hovered as she slowly packed up her belongings in her office. Or at least, she still considered it to be her office because she promised herself that she would be back – and sooner, rather than later. Lisbon knew that he was especially concerned about her today, and specifically, about her sanity. He was worried this would send her over the edge. But, she reminded herself, she had been here before and she knew what she was doing. This time, there were no doubts and no blackouts. She would sooner shoot Red John to death than become embroiled in his plans of murder and deception. Teresa Lisbon was entirely committed to the law, just as she always had been.   
   
After surrendering her badge and gun, she began to hear the whispers from co-workers. _I always thought there was something odd about her. I knew one of that team was going to be working with Red John. Yeah, it makes sense that it’s the boss herself. I’ve never liked her anyway; it’s no wonder she was working with Red John._ It was funny how quickly the rumor mill started whirring, and just how fast this kind of supposedly confidential information leaked out. She tried desperately to ignore it. On the surface – or so she hoped – she showed little regard for what was being said about her. However, deep down, Lisbon was fuming with anger. They were law enforcement officers. They should have known the mantra ‘innocent until proven guilty’ and adhered to it at all times. Instead, everyone she passed seemed convinced that she was already guilty and were ready to sentence her for crimes she hadn’t committed there and then.

“Teresa,” Jane started by the time they reached her car. She ignored him, placed the cardboard box containing her belongings on the back seat and climbed in. “Lisbon. Talk to me.”

“What is there to say, Jane?” she snapped back in response. “I know what’s going on here and there’s nothing I can do right now. All I can do is sit at home and wait.”

“Don’t listen to what they’re saying. We’ll fight this.”

“I know.”

She started the engine but she could tell that Jane believed that she had already given up and thought she’d been defeated. That wasn’t the truth; she just felt exhausted. And who could blame her for that, really? It was barely afternoon and she had already been through a lot. Once she had had time to consider her position and recharge her batteries, then she would be able to fight the lot of them. For now, that would simply have to wait.

Besides, she knew there wasn’t really a lot she could do. All the resources that she needed to investigate who precisely was framing her had been whisked away along with her badge and gun. Lisbon couldn’t put any of her efforts into background checks, make phone calls and inquiries, she couldn’t even talk to other members of staff without raising a few eyebrows. She knew that Jane was pushing the boundaries just by chasing her down to the car. Naturally, she appreciated the sentiment. She hadn’t expected him to support her so thoroughly, at least not without making entirely sure he hadn’t been wrong about her all along. It was a true testament to his faith in her. However, if he wanted to be really useful, he would have been talking to Cho and Van Pelt at this very moment. He would have been working out what their perceptions of the situation were, and then investigating the case with them. Instead, he was talking to her.

“Go talk to the others. This is a waste of time.” He stared at her pointedly and she sighed. “I’m _fine_ , Jane. I’m not going to do anything stupid. This is just some sort of a misunderstanding. That’s all.”

Before he had a chance to retort, she drove off and left him staring at her disappearing vehicle. Lisbon felt a little guilty for being so abrasive with him, but she hadn’t been able to help it. When it came to Jane, he had always treated her with the extremes. One moment, he was buying her expensive jewelry and ponies, the next he was ignoring her for six months at a time, and then he would be promising that he would always save her. It was only fair that she vented out her frustrations with him on occasion. And given her current circumstances, it was completely understandable that she would be feeling so tense.

For the next week, the tension didn’t disappear for even a moment. Whenever Jane dropped by to let her know how the investigation was developing, she feigned ambivalence, but she knew that he could see straight through her lies. As the days slowly crept by, it seemed like she could see nothing positive coming out of the situation. Apparently, they were finding it incredibly difficult to pick out the truth from the web of lies that had been created under their noses. Jane’s faith in her innocence just wasn’t enough for them to base their verdict on. What they needed was to know if she was actually responsible, or see if the Serious Crimes Unit could supply them with the actual perpetrator.

Unfortunately, neither seemed likely at this moment in time.

And worse, the person responsible was still hiding somewhere. They probably still had many a trick up their sleeve, ready to pull out at the opportune moment. They were most likely making it even more difficult for the truth to be discovered.

Whoever was responsible was certainly clever. Added to that, if they weren’t Red John himself, at the very least, they had his assistance. Otherwise, why would he have bothered to murder Agent Douglas’ mom and Sarah Harrigan? Why would he have risked a direct attack on members of the Serious Crimes Unit, or at the very least, people close to them?  You didn’t kill law enforcement; that was common knowledge. Because if you did, they always fought back to prove a point; they always made sure that justice was served on those occasions. It may have seemed like revenge at face value, but those situations were more complicated than that. As far as Lisbon was concerned, it all came down to justice.

It felt like it was coming down to routine when she prepared Jane his cup of tea before he was even due to knock on her door. She stared blankly at the cupboards in front of her. The walls were beginning to close in on her. Lisbon wasn’t designed to stay in enclosed spaces. There was a reason she had stayed in her comfortable job as lead agent for such a long while. Promotions had been offered to her on occasion, but she had always politely declined them. She needed the thrill that fieldwork offered her, and was willing to take the paperwork that came with it as a necessary evil. To push the ratio in favor of more paperwork, more sitting in offices talking politics and more tedium sent shivers down her spine. Just like sitting at home doing absolutely nothing was driving her insane. It was bad enough when she had been consigned to this room during various injuries she had obtained on the job. Being healthy and capable was all the worse.

The knock came precisely at three p.m., just like she expected. Sometimes, she wondered if Jane ever considered picking the lock on her door and ‘surprising’ her with a visit. After all, he had little respect for her personal space when they were in the office. What was so different about her home? But then, she generally bolted the door too and that complicated matters. That, she realized, was something she had forgotten to do in her exhaustion on the night of Sarah Harrigan’s murder.

She hadn’t spent the entire time sitting idle. Lisbon had torn the place down, just to see if she could find the badge. After all, if the one that Douglas had revealed had been an impressive facsimile, then she would be able to improve the odds of the case falling in her favor. Of course, she hadn’t found it and instead, had realized that her home had been broken into. As far as she could see, they had only taken that one thing. But then, they weren’t trying to scare her with a burglary, they were trying to make it appear that she had been in another place when in reality she had been tucked up in bed, alone.

When Jane walked in, he was holding a bag filled with groceries. Lisbon frowned. Though she had mostly been remaining in her home, it hadn’t stopped her from going to the local grocery store to pick up some essentials. Jane didn’t say a word and instead, headed straight to her desk. Suddenly, the red glass bead she had discovered a while back felt all the more prominent. She distinctly remembered Jane’s fabricated story about Red John’s followers carrying the bead. She also remembered trying to kid herself into thinking it came from some jewelry Annabeth had given her. But instead, she realized that it must have been planted as some sort of a joke. Out there, there were now people who believed Jane’s lies about the bead. She watched as he picked it up and placed it back down again.

“Somebody posted it through my letter box a couple of months back. Shortly after we interviewed Douglas,” Lisbon said, before Jane even had a chance to ask the question.

“People really believe that lie?”

“It seems so.”

Jane shook his head. “I have something more important for you to see.”

While the groceries were genuine articles he’d bought – some fruit, a loaf of bread, a bag of potato chips – they were a cover. Underneath them, he revealed some manila files with a very distinct logo on the front. She didn’t need any explanations; these were the files – or at the very least, copies – pertaining to the investigation of her supposed relationship with Red John. Jane knew she wasn’t meant to see these; they were confidential, they were _about_ her, not _for_ her.  All Lisbon was meant to know was the eventual result of the investigation. One which would either see her arrested, interrogated relentlessly and thrown into jail without a second thought or reinstalled in her old job, back where she belonged.

“You shouldn’t have brought these,” she murmured as her fingers danced over the cover. “Have you any idea just how much trouble you’ll get into?”

Jane shot her a condescending look. “Of course I know, Lisbon, but nobody’s going to find out. And you need to know.”

Warily, she sat down and opened the file. Jane disappeared into the kitchen and found his beautifully prepared cup of tea while she absorbed the information. She had been telling herself that all the evidence was circumstantial, that they didn’t have a case against her. This file, meanwhile, was trying to convince everyone of the opposite and doing a very good job at it, too.  Apparently, the people trying to frame her had been working hard, for far longer than she had ever envisaged. This was a plan that Red John had put into motion a long time ago.

She faintly suspected that he had decided to put it into action the moment that Patrick Jane had chosen _not_ to kill her one year ago.

“Jane…” Lisbon started.

He placed down the teacup and stared her in the eyes. Immediately, Lisbon knew that he thought this situation was serious. While she’d been reading every single note he’d supplied her with, he had remained ominously silent, something which just didn’t match up with the Jane she knew. He wasn’t just worried about her – he was worried for her too. And he was about to say something which she knew she wasn’t going to like, even before the words left his mouth.

“You have to leave, Teresa,” he said, quietly and calmly.

“No,” she interrupted. “Jane, you know I’m innocent. If I go on the run, it’ll just prove their point. The case will stack up against me. I’d rather fight for the truth in a court of law-“

“You can’t put your faith in the law this time,” Jane said, cutting her panicked words off. “It isn’t just the law that’s out for your blood, but Red John too. Wherever you are, you’re in danger. Red John will pick you off in jail. He has eyes everywhere.”

“Don’t you think I know that?”

“Then leave, for a while, just until it’s safe and I can prove who’s doing this to you. If not for yourself, then do it for me. Please?”


	10. Part Nine

She stared defiantly at Jane, in spite of his pleading. Somehow, Lisbon felt like she still couldn’t back down. Years of being wholly loyal to the law, years of believing in it, still coursed through her veins. As far as she was concerned, she could trust the law to uncover the truth eventually. However, for Jane, that wasn’t good enough. He didn’t want her to go through that ordeal at all, it seemed. And he didn’t seem to care that she was prepared to do just that. However, she knew there had to be more to the issue in hand. There just _had_ to be. If it was anyone else, she wouldn’t have been so sure, but this was Patrick Jane.

But even if she was wrong on this occasion, maybe he did have a point. The law wasn’t always right. There were a staggering number of innocent people trapped behind bars, while the real criminals continued to roam the streets and wreak havoc wherever they went. Red John himself was a perfect example of that. Who was to say that she would be able to prove her innocence in a court of law? Her integrity had already been cast under shadows of doubt. And unlike Jane, she wasn’t equipped with powerful wordplay. Of course, she could be convincing when she needed to be, she could interrogate or question people with ease. But it was different, being on the other side of the desk, having your every move scrutinized under lamplight.

“But surely I’d be under even more risk, out on the run?” she eventually countered after some serious consideration. “Red John could hunt me down and then…”

Instead of finishing her sentence with the words neither of them wanted to hear, she shook her head violently. The thought of her own demise was a step too far for the both of them, even in this serious situation. But in reality, that was the honest truth of it all. Every minute, every hour that passed, her circumstances grew all the more grave. Red John had a proverbial noose around her neck and as time marched ever onwards, he tightened it that little further. Lisbon swallowed. This wasn’t something she should fear; she was a homicide investigator, the gritty facts of death shouldn’t scare her. But it did; she was only human, after all. Fear of her own mortality was only natural, especially when there was a distinct possibility of her life being brutally cut short.

“He’s fascinated by you, Teresa,” Jane added, and she could almost hear the underlying meaning of _‘because I’m fascinated by you too.’_ “He wouldn’t kill you that quickly.”

“And you know this how?”

“It’s a hunch,” he admitted quietly.

“But your hunches aren’t always foolproof,” she retorted, frustrated.

“I don’t tell you every single hunch. Only the ones I have confidence in,” he assured her.

“So you have confidence in this one?”

“Not as much as I usually do, but yes.”

Her eyes narrowed at him. She may have been a cop – but, as she reminded herself, she had already been unceremoniously stripped of her title and badge – but he was asking her to walk into an incredibly dangerous position with her head held high. Lisbon knew that she could be classified as being ‘brave’; it was something she could admit to without ego, more as a statement of the truth. However, bravery didn’t mean you had to go looking for trouble. It meant stepping up to the plate when the timing was necessary.

Was the timing necessary now or would it just be foolhardy to even consider it? That was the question she was being forced to face at this moment in time.

And in reality, she knew she was being trapped between a rock and a hard place. One side, the wolves of the law were circling for her blood. They believed she had evidence that could lead them to Red John, despite years of loyal service, and never having shown signs that she just might be a mole for the serial killer in the past. On the other side of the equation, there was Red John, a serial killer who delighted in hurting Patrick Jane. He was a man who knew how close they were, and as a consequence, was more than willing to exploit their relationship. And she didn’t doubt that if she ended up in his clutches, she would inevitably die a bloody death, regardless of his supposed ‘fascination’ with her.

And Jane’s hunches weren’t always one hundred percent foolproof. What if, this time, he was wrong? What if he killed her the moment he set eyes on her? What if she couldn’t even find Red John, never mind find conclusive evidence to get him arrested and clear her name at the same time? And what if the law caught up with her anyway, and she was just thrown in jail for absconding? Then, she would be back at square one and have legitimate cause for a criminal record.

“Jane, I don’t know if I can do this,” she whispered.

Usually, she refused to show any signs of weakness in front of Jane. She had always classified herself as the ‘strong one’ out of the two of them. He was so broken and scarred that he needed somebody he could rely on, no matter what. But the more they spoke, the more deathly afraid she grew. That was mostly because his suggested situation grew increasingly more likely.

“I believe in you,” he said simply.

“And that’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Teresa, I’ve tried everything I can to clear your name, without you having to do this. But if you don’t leave now, they will come and arrest you _tonight_. They are finalizing details for your arrest as we speak and getting a judge to sign off on the warrant to search this place, too. If you do leave, you could get conclusive evidence which would lead to Red John’s arrest. And isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

For a second, she was startled by what he was saying. Every single time they had talked about Red John in the past, it had always been ‘when I kill Red John’. He had never, not for a second, suggested giving up on his quest for revenge. Jane had always appeared, at least to her, as determined as ever to have Red John’s blood on his hands to honor the memory of his deceased wife and daughter. For the first time ever, he had suggested that he trusted the law – trusted _her_ – enough to be able to arrest Red John and seek justice the legal way. Of course, she was more than aware that he could easily have been lying through his teeth, just to convince her to go along with his plans. But regardless of how she looked at it, regardless of what he said, she still felt like he was trying to convince her to let him send her away, like a lamb to the slaughter.

“Jane…”

“I mean it,” he said firmly, before she had a chance to speak.

“You’ll let me have Red John?” she asked tentatively.

“You’re the one who’ll be doing the hard work. You’re the one who’ll be risking life and limb,” he stated. “And besides, after all these years of dealing with me, I think you deserve it.”

A smile briefly flashed across her features, but it was only a wan one. She genuinely did appreciate what Jane was offering to her, but she was also aware that there were strings attached. Her life, for one and then there was the simple fact of assuming that this gesture would be enough to convince the CBI of her innocence. Even if she did manage to bust into Red John’s inner circle, get him arrested and get out again unscathed, there was still the chance that they wouldn’t discover who the real mole was either. And then, despite handing Red John over, there was the chance that the CBI would simply assume she had defaulted on him and handed her ‘lord and master’ over to the authorities. She would still end up with a jail sentences, albeit a reduced one.

She glared at the bead resting innocuously on her desk. It felt like that little object had been the beginning of all of her problems. In reality, she knew that this issue had been festering for a long while.

In the end, she didn’t answer his unasked request; she didn’t need to. The sag of her shoulders and the sigh told him that she was defeated, that she would agree to do it. It didn’t matter that technically, at this moment in time, she was no longer a cop. Instead, she was going to be behaving as a vigilante, in the vain hope of being able to save everything that she had ever cared about. But it was the right thing to do; if she brought Red John to justice, if she could find out the people responsible for framing her, then she wouldn’t end up going back to square one. Instead, they would be in an even better position than before, because one less scumbag (and a particularly notorious one, at that) would be off of the streets for good.

All she could do was hope that it wouldn’t come at too high a cost.

“Thank you,” Jane said and then he headed back over to the bag he’d brought in with him.

Lisbon watched him cautiously as he pulled a few items out of the bag. The first was a cellphone and she immediately knew that it would be a secure line. A minute later, Jane confirmed it, stating that he’d only installed two numbers in it – his own and Cho’s. Hearing Cho’s name made her feel slightly uneasy for a second, but he assured her that Cho was one hundred percent on her side. He felt guilty for having to force her through questioning and the poly, but his hands were tied. They wouldn’t have been able to sweep the badge incident under the carpet without it coming back to haunt them. He wanted to make amends and, along with Jane and Van Pelt, he was fighting to clear her name. Lisbon pretended not to notice the absence of a certain Agent Douglas’ name from the list, but she couldn’t help but feel a slight sting. The phone was quickly followed by a gun, an ammo can and a holster.

Specifically, it was her gun. The one she had surrendered back at the CBI headquarters.

“Jane…”

“I did the old switcheroo.”

“You _really_ shouldn’t have done this,” she chastised.

He shrugged his shoulders. “You’re not my boss, Ms. Lisbon,” he said with a grin. “And besides, I’m not going to take it back.”

“I hate you,” she grumbled.

“No you don’t.”

“I _do_ ,” she asserted, but she couldn’t help but smile again. “Thank you.”

She placed the holster back on her belt and put the gun in place. The phone she pocketed. Meanwhile, she figured that if Jane was really serious about this she would need a decent bag to store any other ‘essentials’ in. Her overnight bag would probably suffice; she had kept it packed out despite being under suspension. After all, Lisbon had assumed she would have been back by now. However, it would now have to serve her for an entirely different purpose.

Jane went onto explain that Danny Ruskin, his dead wife’s brother, was back in town, but leaving soon. Apparently, he owed him a favor and as a consequence, was more than happy to ‘take care’ of her. Lisbon was tentative about this arrangement, but what else could she do? She doubted she would be able to leave the state, not without being smuggled out somehow. Heading to her brother’s in Chicago was out of the question, and besides, she absolutely refused to put the lives of any of her family in danger. There was nothing else she could organize really, not at such short notice.

Eventually, it became clear that they really had to get moving. Jane gave her ten minutes to gather together everything she needed. While he waited patiently by the door, she rushed to and fro, trying to figure out anything she would need in addition to what she had in her overnight bag. Eventually, she was ready, but Jane was wearing a look of consternation on his face. Immediately, she hurried and they climbed into his car.

They drove away in silence. Tension had immediately enveloped them as she realized the magnitude of what they – she – was about to undertake. Nervously, she drummed her fingers against her and stared pointedly out of the front.  Under any normal circumstances, she usually seriously disliked taking Jane’s vehicle anywhere. Especially so, considering he often had a tendency to speed. This time, she offered no complaints whatsoever. All she could do was hope that they wouldn’t draw the attention of any traffic cops; that could easily lead to trouble.

She glanced in the windscreen mirror and saw a pair of flashing lights approaching. Jane began to slow down accordingly, but Lisbon could feel her heart rate escalate at the same time. They couldn’t be stopped, they had to get away, this was her only chance. Jane had made the decision for her, essentially, and now, she had to follow through with it. They simply couldn’t fall at the first hurdle, could they?

“Get down!” he hissed suddenly, breaking the silence and she was only more than happy to oblige.


	11. Part Ten

Her heart pounded as the police car flashed past them. Lisbon remained crouched down for a good five minutes, until she was absolutely sure that they weren't going to be stopped. Barely an hour into being 'on the run' and already, she was reacting like a deer caught in the headlights. Just how was she going to cope with this as a semi-permanent lifestyle? The sooner this mess was over and done with, the better, she considered. And besides, it seemed so contrary, her having a fear of cops. It felt innately wrong. They were meant to be her colleagues and friends, not ‘the enemy’. In the space of a week, her whole world had been turned upside down and Lisbon had the distinct feeling that it was going to get much worse before it got better.   
   
"It's okay," Jane muttered when she finally sat up properly. "We're fine."  
   
"Remind me why I've agreed to do this again?" she grumbled in response.   
   
Jane chuckled lightly. "To clear your name and capture Red John, perhaps?"  
   
"I'm not designed for this. I uphold the law, I don't break it."  
   
"You haven't done anything wrong," Jane reminded her.   
   
"Apart from avoiding arrest?” she suggested, and lifted up a hand to count her issues on her fingers. “Reading confidential case files? Planning to carry out investigations while under suspension? Handling a weapon stolen from the CBI? And who knows what else I will be forced to do? Yeah, I've done nothing wrong at all."  
   
"You need to look at the bigger picture."  
   
"I know," she answered quietly. "But it's hard."  
   
They fell back into silence as Jane drove steadily onwards. Briefly, Lisbon wondered if anyone would question his absence from the CBI, but then, he had probably already called in and claimed to be sick. She trusted him, of course she did, but that didn't mean she necessarily approved of his methodology. And this plan of his, it required so much serendipity. It assumed that Red John's fascination (and potential respect) for her would be enough to keep her alive. It assumed that he would seek her out, now she had fled the comforts of her own home. It assumed they would be able to prove that she was innocent. It assumed that she wouldn't be caught before they could put Jane's plan into practice. And as far as Lisbon was concerned, that was far too many assumptions to ride on. But it was too late now, it was happening, and all she could do was pray that Lady Luck would be on her side.   
   
Eventually, they headed out into unfamiliar territory, even for Lisbon, who had traveled the length and breadth of California as a part of her job. Jane, meanwhile, seemed to know exactly where he was going and refused to tell her precisely where they were going to meet Danny Ruskin. That was another issue she had with this whole plan: she knew that Jane and Danny had a tempestuous relationship and justifiably so. The man believed that Jane had stolen his sister away from him, and worse, led her and her daughter to their deaths. Could he really be trusted to keep his word and keep her out of trouble, or at least as much as feasibly possible, considering what they were attempting? Or would he land up looking for petty revenge and fixate on her, just as Red John had? Only time would tell, she considered.   
   
Eventually, they pulled up outside a small cabin in the mountains, not too dissimilar to the one that Lorelei Martins had hidden out in on occasion. She had been found dead in that cabin, the one she had once shared with her sister. Jane killed the engine, grabbed her overnight bag and handed it to her without a word. With some trepidation, Lisbon stepped out of Jane's beloved Citroen and onto the muddy ground beneath her. Part of her was relieved to be out of Jane's death trap of a car, but she was all too aware that she was stepping out into the unknown. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, she surmised. Still, it made her skin crawl, knowing that by now, she was probably considered a wanted criminal. This was probably just how Madeleine Hightower had felt when she had been framed as being a mole by Craig O'Laughlin. Luckily for Hightower, all charges had eventually been dropped, but not without some fierce legal battles. Now, it was time for Lisbon herself to stand in the spotlight in a not too dissimilar role.   
   
"You okay?" Jane muttered as he picked the lock to the cabin. "I know this is a lot to take in."  
   
"I'm fine."  
   
Jane nodded, understanding that she didn't want to talk about it. The phrase 'I'm fine' was essentially her way of saying that she would rather keep her current emotional status private. On occasion, he called her up on it, but whenever she needed to draw a line under a certain issue he respected her need for privacy. Or, he just read it in her expressions and demeanor anyway. Even so, sometimes, she found it comparatively easy to open up to Jane these days, and besides it was a lot more dignified than forcing him to read her body language to get it out of her. On other occasions, like now, she just didn't have the energy or impetus to speak. Those were the times when he knew it was safer to leave her alone. She just wanted this whole sorry mess over - already - so that she could get back to normal.   
   
The cabin was barely furnished, though there was a small kitchenette tucked away in the corner. Jane readied the tea, more as a distraction than because either one of them really wanted one. Danny was nowhere to be seen, and part of her hoped he wouldn't turn up at all. She was highly trained; she knew how to fend for herself. Though she didn't want to admit to it particularly, she had a number of transferable skills thanks to her job, any one of them could apply to evading capture. However, there was the finding Red John issue. According to Jane, Danny had been working as a P.I., investigating the Red John case. Like Jane, he wanted to see Red John's blood spilled in revenge for the death of Angela Ruskin-Jane. Unlike Jane, he had been relying on his own wits and willfully breaking the law in order to discover anything he could about the serial killer. And although gumshoes generally infuriated her on the job, he allegedly had some useful information. He'd claimed that he could speed up the process of Red John 'discovering' her location and thus, delivering her to him. Or vice versa, perhaps. At the moment, the lines were so blurred that she couldn't really tell the difference.   
   
However, Danny wasn't here. And naturally, that complicated matters. But that was only provided that he didn't turn up soon, of course. For, there were only four people who knew what she was doing: Jane, Cho, Danny and of course, herself. Danny was the weak link, the one that couldn't be trusted. Lisbon had worked with both Cho and Jane for long enough to know they would support her as best they could, every step of the way. She knew that any trust she placed in them was reciprocated entirely. Jane had made it clear that Cho realized she was innocent, and that was why he was fighting tooth and nail to clear her name.  It was funny how they both claimed to _know_ she was an innocent party, but hadn’t necessarily extended that same kind of treatment to Hightower when she’d been placed in this position. The frame job was at least as good as Hightower’s case. But then, she hadn’t spent years building up trust with them. Instead, she demanded and commanded respect.

All that was irrelevant right now. Her bosses believed she was guilty and that was enough for her need to escape. It didn’t change in the slightest the fact that Danny was an unknown entity; someone who could fall either way. He also had a criminal background and thus, Lisbon was leery to treat him with any kind of respect or implicit trust that she placed in those who had spent years around her in the CBI. _But then_ , she reminded herself silently, _she had spent_ years _supporting a murderer. She_ knew _that Jane had killed in cold blood and had the capacity to do so again._ That didn’t matter though; she knew Jane’s motives for killing Timothy Carter, even if he had turned out to merely be an acolyte of Red John and not the killer himself. This situation was still forcing her to place her trust in somebody whom she really didn’t want to.

It was too late to do anything about it. If she dared pull the plug on it now, then she would be dragging Jane down with her too. After all, he was the one who had delivered the case notes to her, he was the one who switched her gun with a fake gun and he was the one who had organized her evasion of arrest.  And Lisbon wasn’t willing to see Jane punished for yet another problem caused by Red John. The man had already been to hell and back on too many occasions. This time, she potentially had the opportunity to offer him closure, and on terms that, for once, they both agreed upon. Links may have been tenuous, there was still too much chance involved for her liking, but it was a risk she had to be willing to take. Besides, she had no choice now. And now she was standing here, in this little cabin, she wondered if Jane had really given her an option at all?

Not really, she decided. But then, he was always so convincing anyway; she never had a chance.

“I’m sorry,” Jane said as he handed her the cup of tea.

“Is this one of your general apologies or did you have something more specific in mind?”

She placed the cup of tea on the small dining table. They were perched on either side, just staring at one another and waiting for the potential – hopeful – arrival of Danny Ruskin. Lisbon wasn’t interested in consuming anything in the slightest; she had the vague notion that, even if she tried, she’d just bring it straight back up again. Sooner or later, she’d have to have something to eat or drink, especially as she didn’t necessarily know where her next meal was coming from. However, that didn’t mean she could muster the desire to do so right now. Jane took a long drink as he considered his answer. This surprised Lisbon; usually, Jane had a witty retort on his tongue before she’d even had a chance to finish the question.

But then, the magnitude of this situation was bearing down on both of them. One way or another, everything would be changed. Either she would emerge the proverbial hero, or go burning down in flames. Time would eventually dictate which, but for now, Lisbon knew she would have to deal with the fear of the unknown. And even then, she didn’t much like the idea of either ending. All she had ever wanted to do was her job to the very best of her ability. Accolades had never been that important to her; justice and the feelings of the relatives of victims, meanwhile, were.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess. For complicating matters when it comes to Red John. For killing the wrong man. For tarnishing your career and potentially, ruining it. For making you the target of a dangerous serial killer…”

He eventually stopped and she paused at him, agog. This was the most comprehensive apology that Jane had ever dared to offer her. She understood why he’d needed to do it now, but that didn’t mean she could quite believe it. This was Patrick Jane, the man who had practically invented the art of saying sorry without actually saying those specific words. She shook her head and sipped at the tea. It wasn’t as bad as she had initially anticipated.

“You didn’t make me a target, Jane,” she answered; that was one thing she had to make clear. “Red John would have come after me, either way. I am – was – running the investigation into his case.”

“Teresa…”

“But thank you anyway.”

At that moment, the door burst open and a disheveled Danny Ruskin burst through the door. His eyes were wide with fear and naturally, Lisbon had a deep sense of foreboding. She had the sense that this was very much going to be the way that things started between the two of them and it already wasn’t looking good. She found herself wishing for a simpler time, maybe six months ago, before all this mess started. Back before Rigsby was even thinking about leaving the unit and when they were all still settled and confident in the roles as a team. Already, she knew she was going to be doing a lot of that over the course of… however long it took to clean up this mess. She could only hope that it wouldn’t take too long and that the results would be clean-cut in the end.

“I don’t know if I was followed,” Danny said breathlessly. “We don’t have long.”

Immediately, Jane whisked up Lisbon’s bag and handed it over to her. He followed them both outside and just before Lisbon had the chance to climb into Danny’s beaten up truck, he grabbed her by the wrist. Quizzically, she turned around to face him and then, without much of a warning, he pressed a kiss against her right cheek. Then it dawned on her: this was potentially the last time they were going to see one another alive. Hopefully, it wasn’t going to be, but there was that distinct possibility.

“Stay safe, Teresa,” he whispered.

She nodded. “I’ll try.”


	12. Part Eleven

“Why did you agree to help me, to help _us_?”

After several minutes of silence, Lisbon finally dared to break the silence. The question had been bugging her since she had discovered Danny’s involvement. She still half suspected him to let her down, to drive her to her death, or some variation on that, as a simple way of getting back at Jane. The instant animosity that Danny had exuded to Jane when she had first met him, she had never forgotten. All Lisbon could do was wonder what, precisely, had made him change his mind about Jane, if it had been changed at all. And if it had, and this gesture was genuine – it must have appeared so for Jane to be able to trust him with her – how and why had his perception of Jane changed so much?

“Because it’s what my sister would have wanted,” Danny answered abruptly. “She loved him, and she would have wanted me to help him.”

“Oh.”

“You know, he’s the reason I started investigating the Red John case, too? I thought, if he can do it, why can’t I? I wanted to do something _for_ Annie, you know?”

She nodded. It wasn’t really a surprise to her that, essentially, it all boiled down to the one mutual person they both loved wholeheartedly: Angela Ruskin-Jane. And like Jane himself, Danny had the tendency to paint his deceased sister out as being some kind of saint. Logically, Lisbon knew that this couldn’t have been further from the truth; no person was perfection personified, or even remotely close to it. They had foibles and flaws just like anyone else. In a way, Danny’s loyalty to his sister, even now, ten years after her death only succeeded in making her even more intrigued about the woman in question. In some ways, Lisbon wished she’d had the chance to meet her, and then she would have been able to make her own mind up about what she was like.

They drove on for hours, not stopping for respite. Lisbon ached from sitting in the same position for far too long, but she didn’t feel like she could ask Danny to stop, even for one second. Just like Jane earlier this morning, Danny seemed to know exactly what he was doing and where they were going. Who was she to argue with that? But then, like Jane, he was carnie folk. He didn’t share his plans in any way whatsoever. _You’re either with it, or without. And if you’re without, then you’re a mark, a sucker._ Jane had said something like that to her once. Therefore, it didn’t take much extrapolation for her to believe that was exactly what Danny saw her as.

She frowned as she watched the sun set in front of her. Theoretically, it should have been a spectacular sight, but Lisbon couldn’t garner much joy from it. She was still caught up worrying about what was going to happen next. It didn’t help that she had yet to discuss precisely what Danny knew about Red John, how he was intending to help get her in with him, and most importantly, why he knew it. They had been investigating Red John for years, and they still seemed to know as much now as they had at the beginning of the investigation. Although they couldn’t have gotten much more private than the truck they were currently riding in, Lisbon had wanted to wait until they stopped somewhere for that specific conversation. Then, if she didn’t like what he had to say, she would have had the opportunity to venture off on her own. That would have offered her the opportunity to reclaim some control of the situation. As it was, she currently had to rely on other people to make each and every decision for her and she didn’t like that. She never had done; she always liked to know there was a means of escape. But, in a way, this was her means of escape from jail and a lifetime of hell.

Eventually, they pulled up outside a dingy motel and Danny abruptly killed the engine. He slammed the door of the van shut and promptly expected her to follow him inside. The place looked far worse than any other motel she’d ever stayed in. It even made the ones that the relatively strapped-for-cash CBI dared to put them up in during far-flung cases look like luxury in comparison. However, it _was_ distinctly reminiscent of some which prominent murders had occurred in, however, and that wasn’t an especially pleasant thought. Danny didn’t bother going to reception, explaining that he had already booked himself in, and didn’t want to draw attention to them by taking her along. He’d heard flashes about her on the news already and didn’t want to run the risk. Instead, he led her straight to room 13, unlocked the door and let her inside.

“Where are we going?” Lisbon asked the moment the door was shut behind them.

“To Red John,” he answered back and Lisbon fought back the urge to be sarcastic in response.

“And where is he?”

“Sacramento,” Danny said, refusing to extrapolate.

“So, you and Jane drove me all the way out to God knows where, just to take me straight back?” she exploded in response.

“It’s where he is.”

“And you know that how?”

Lisbon flopped down on the double bed and crossed her arms as she glared at Danny. Yes, he was theoretically helping her, but equally, he was giving her as little to work with as Jane did during any given case. She didn’t know why she had expected Danny to be more open with her, but she had. Though his precious sister probably would have ‘liked’ him helping her, she got the impression that he still wasn’t capable of getting over his inherent dislike for cops. And yet, she was the one who had let him slip through the net and avoid being charged with his fraud allegations. She’d done that for Jane, not Danny, but still. A little gratitude would have gone a long way. All she wanted to know was a little more information to quell her troubled mind, and he couldn’t even offer her that quickly and easily.

It didn’t help that he was as difficult to talk to as Jane. She knew that some carnie folk were notoriously difficult to get information out of; it was almost as if they bred it into their children and their children’s children. However, Lisbon had expected that her years of dealing with a manipulative, yet utterly charming, Patrick Jane would have at least taught her how to deal with the rest of them. Especially so when she considered that Danny wore his heart on his sleeve even more so than Jane ever did. Jane only ever showed just how broken he truly was under extreme circumstances and it always reminded her of just how far she had to go if she ever wanted to save him from himself. But then, that was half the problem. Danny was different, she hadn’t worked out what made him sync. The fact that they came from the same background was irrelevant.

She watched as Danny scoured the room; she’d already had a cursory glance around the moment she stepped inside of it, but nothing looked too untoward so she disregarded it. However, Danny had been avoiding the authorities – and whatever other dangers – for far longer than she had. It was only natural that his paranoia levels were running far higher than hers were. Besides, he was a naturally anxious person; even she could read that in his body language.

“He works in Visualize,” he eventually answered when he was certain there was nobody listening into their conversation.

Lisbon sighed. She wasn’t surprised in the slightest by that supposed ‘bombshell’. For years, she had been skeptical about the cult ran by Brett Stiles. However, Stiles was clever and wily. They hadn’t been capable of pinning anything on him, or Visualize. If they ever got close to doing so, somehow, Stiles always managed to slip through the net. It was frustrating, knowing that so many people were getting fleeced by him and his cult, and that there was very little they could do about it. The fact that Red John was somewhere in the organization, therefore, wasn’t entirely unexpected. The only question that remained was: just how high up? Was it Stiles himself?

“I don’t know who. When I started my investigation into Red John, Visualize was the place I started with. Jane told me that Brett Stiles had informed him on regular occasions about Red John. How did he get his information?”

“You do realize that we’ve spent years investigating Brett Stiles and Visualize and we’ve discovered nothing, don’t you?”

Danny brushed it aside. “You may have had the CBI tools and resources, but you’re still just cops. Stiles knows how to deal with you, how to cover things up from you. I went in on the inside.”

“You joined Visualize?”

“How else was I meant to get a proper insight into it? It’s a side of Visualize that _you’ve_ never seen and you never would.”

The accusatory tone in his voice was obvious, but Lisbon knew that she couldn’t get too hung up on it. He was right; it was a side of Visualize that she could never have investigated, even if she’d wanted to. She, and her whole team, had always been too well known to Brett Stiles. If they had wanted to try an undercover operation, he would have worked out their intentions in a heartbeat. It simply hadn’t been worth the fight.

“Did he work out who you were?”

“He head-hunted me. Through Jane. Brett Stiles likes to pick up… vulnerable… people for his cult and mold them into what he needs. Young people, ones who haven’t found their paths, people who have suffered tragic losses, people trying to ‘find themselves’ again. He takes in whole families if he can…”

“But that’s just standard practice for cults. Everyone knows that,” she scoffed.

“Yeah, but there’s always whispers. Of murders, of serial killers…”

“Of Red John?”

“Yes. But members always pretended _not_ to hear. Standard practice of Visualize,” Danny explained.

“And did you find anything?” Lisbon asked.

“He’s high up, in Stiles’ inner circle. I was thrown out before I had a chance to find anything else.”

“Oh.”

“But you can do it, right? Find out who he is? Bring him down? For Annie and Charlotte?”

Lisbon nodded. Of course, she still had every intention of ensuring he was arrested. And not just to seek justice for the Jane family, but each and every one of his victims. But of course, she also had to clear her name first, otherwise she was going to go crashing down with them. She shuddered, as if somebody had just walked over her grave. Sneaking into Red John’s inner circle, bringing him down, it was all so easy to say. Now she knew that Visualize had something to do with it, it suddenly sounded all the more difficult. She moved her hand to her pocket and her fingers briefly grazed over the secure line cellphone that Jane had given her. Desperately, she wanted to call him, to reprimand him for sending her on this fool’s errand. Now, it suddenly felt like jail was the easier option. And considering the brutality that occurred for imprisoned cops, that was saying something.

She was just one person. What chance did she really have? Especially if Red John had _Brett Stiles_ , of all people, onside.

“We need to sleep,” Danny said, breaking through her reverie. “We have an early start in the morning.”

Dubiously, Lisbon glanced over at the bed. She barely knew Danny, and yet, she was being forced into enclosed encounters with him. This, of course, was something she could cope with, but it didn’t mean she necessarily had to like it.

“You take the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“Danny…”

“I insist. It’s what…”

“You don’t need to say that,” Lisbon replied peevishly. “You should do things for _yourself_ , not in the name of your deceased sister.”

She watched as Danny toyed with the concept. Like Jane, she got the impression he had spent years only doing things for his sister, and not for anybody else. Lisbon learned the hard way that she didn’t have to do everything in the memory of her parents. Eventually, she realized she could be selfish and follow her own hopes and dreams. It was then that she had enrolled in college and studied to become a cop. And since then, she had always been far happier, even if her brothers resented her for deserting them at such a young age.

“You should still take the bed. I’m used to sleeping rough.”

“You sure about that?” she pressed.

“I am.”

Her stomach rumbled uncomfortably as she climbed into the bed fully clothed. But then, she had barely eaten or drunk anything since breakfast. This wasn’t a healthy lifestyle to lead, and immediately, she regretted any moments when she had refused food or drink during the day. Lisbon squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she tried to ignore it, and to fall asleep instead. Sleep continued to elude her, however. All she could think of was what was happening, what was expected of her, and what could potentially happen next. It all seemed so implausible and more than a little bit frightening.

It was funny just how quickly her life had been promptly turned upside down. At this specific moment in time, she hated that more than anything else.


	13. Part Twelve

“Teresa.”

“Mhm?”

“Teresa, we have to get moving. You have to wake up.”

For a second, she had forgotten where she was and wondered who the hell was staring down at her. Instinctively, she moved into a defensive mode until the memories of the past twenty-four hours flooded back to the forefront of her mind. It was just Danny Ruskin, Jane’s deceased wife’s brother. He was helping her out, trying to find Red John. He was delivering her to Visualize, the cult ran by Brett Stiles, where Red John was allegedly hiding. Or at least, that was what Danny had claimed. And Jane had believed him. Grumbling incoherently, she stared at the neon lights of the alarm clock. Four fifty-seven am stared back at her and she scowled. She had been asleep for a maximum of two hours. The pounding in her temples and every ache in her body could feel the sleep deprivation.

Regardless, she tentatively swung her legs out of the bed and slowly began to stretch each muscle group in turn. It helped to wake her up a little, but it didn’t mean that the feeling would last. Lisbon was relieved that she knew how to operate on little to no sleep, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t going to be difficult. It especially didn’t help that she had no idea what the day’s plans involved. Or even how soon he was intending to take her back to Sacramento; in her mind, heading back there so soon seemed a little too risky. Surely it was better to let the heat die down again first? But then, she was used to doing the chasing. For now, the hunter had become the hunted.

And though she hadn’t seen any signs either way, she already knew that more than one group of people was after her.

“I’ll give you ten minutes to get ready,” he said, nodding at the decrepit ensuite bathroom. “Then we have to go.”

Still, she cast the fears of being hunted down aside for now. Instead, she shed her clothes as quickly as possible and dove underneath the ice cold spray of the shower. Lisbon didn’t complain; it was a waste of time and energy. Instead, she bathed as swiftly as possible and got changed once again. She didn’t have time to dry her hair and it was only a minor irritation. The urgency in Danny’s voice had been obvious and she knew he wanted to leave almost immediately.

When she exited, she found that he had switched on the television. One of the twenty-four hour news channels was showing. Her heart felt like it simultaneously stopped and sped up when her own (outdated) image flashed up on the screen. The news reader insisted that she was ‘armed and highly dangerous and should not be approached at all costs’. They weren’t lying about the fact she was armed, but she couldn’t help but think that ‘highly dangerous’ was an exaggeration. Still, this was proof positive that they had to leave this instant.

Danny apologized profusely once they were back in the truck and on the road. Before he started driving, he’d handed her a bag of donuts, something which she ate with much less decorum than she would ordinarily have liked. The further away they got from the motel, the safer she began to feel once again. Though, Lisbon didn’t know if she would ever feel truly safe once again. Even so, the roads seemed to stretch on endlessly and she found the exhaustion was beginning to seep back into her bones. She was beginning to find it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes open.

“ _Hello_ , Teresa.”

The voice was unfamiliar, but recognizable at the same time. It made her blood run cold but she couldn’t help but be intrigued. She cocked her head slightly and took a step forwards. At all times, she made sure her hands were free, just in case she needed to arm herself at any given moment.

“I think you’ll find I have your gun.”

He held it out to her and then threw it away, over his shoulder. It was completely unreachable. She swore at him, demanded to know how he did it. This was the kind of parlor trick that Jane pulled on her, but she knew this wasn’t him. The voice almost sounded… deadly. She shook her head; it couldn’t be him. It couldn’t be Red John. She knew that Jane had met him, had shook his hand even, but that didn’t necessarily mean that she had. Just as she had stepped towards him in intrigue, she now took a step back, keen to make a hasty retreat.

“You think you can run, Teresa. But you can’t hide.”

She turned and saw a wooden door. Automatically, she bolted towards it, but the door was locked. In frustration, she shook the doorknob, swore several times and planned to kick it down. A dark foreboding laughter filled the room. Once again, she turned on her heels to face _him_ and shot him a dirty glare for good measure.

He was now armed.

The silver blade glinted in the sunlight.

Lisbon swallowed. She knew what he had planned for her; she had always known. From the moment she had taken on the Red John case, she had run the risk of this happening. Building a friendship with Patrick Jane had only exacerbated the risk. She turned again and jostled the doorknob once more. It just had to come loose; it was her only chance for freedom, to escape.

Unless she…

She started to edge around the perimeter of the room. If she could just get to her gun, then she could shoot the bastard to death. Then, she would have all the time in the world to consider her escape route. Carefully, she took her path around. She was nearly at the gun when she heard Jane calling out, pleading for her.

“Lisbon!”

Naturally, she turned to face the direction she swore he was calling from. That ended up being a fatal error because she suddenly felt a strong forearm pressing against her abdomen and the man’s hot breath breathing down her ear. She kicked and struggled, attempting to set herself free, but it was all in vain. Eventually she could feel the cold blade pressing against her exposed neck and she swallowed deeply.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this Teresa,” he hissed moments before the blade cut deep into her flesh.

She woke with a jerk at the sound of the cellphone that Jane had given her buzzing. Bleary eyed, she checked it to see she had received a text message from the man himself. _They have searched your home_ , he’d said _. They found a necklace I gave Charlotte on her fifth birthday in your safe._ She told him she hadn’t put it there, asked him if he believed her. He said yes; he could see that it had been tampered with recently. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder whether or not he was lying just to protect her feelings.  Naturally, she hoped she wouldn’t, but the situation that Lisbon had found herself in couldn’t help but let the doubts creep into her mind. She felt like she couldn’t trust anything at the moment.

Danny remained wordless, oblivious to her sudden awakening and discomfort at the messages she had received and sent in response. The scenery was beginning to change from endless open spaces to a more suburban area. It was already getting late and the sun was setting again. They must have spent at least twelve hours traveling and she could really feel it in her back. Logically, she knew that Danny must have stopped to get some gas and supplies, but he hadn’t bothered to wake her. In a way, she wished he had. The nightmares she’d been forced to endure had meant the sleep was less than restful.

“Why are we stopping here?”

Lisbon wasn’t complaining about stopping; she was glad for an opportunity to stretch her legs. However, they were in an unrecognizable place. This was definitely not the Visualize headquarters.

“I got the impression you didn’t entirely believe what I told you about Visualize.”

“I did,” she protested.

“Liar,” he replied and smirked. “Patrick told me you were a hopeless liar, but I didn’t believe you could be _that_ bad. Good luck when you get in with Visualize; you’ll need it.”

“You haven’t answered my question,” she said peevishly.

“A friend of mine, he was investigating Visualize too, for different reasons. He heard the same things as me. He’ll confirm that I’m telling the truth.”

“I hope so.”

Before they even got more than three feet from the truck, they were subject to a stray bullet. Lisbon’s hand immediately found the holster and she popped it open. Briefly, she turned to face Danny and his eyes were wild with panic.

 “I’m sorry, Teresa. I can’t do this, I can’t risk being arrested!”

“Danny!”

Her shouting was in vain and she would never get to meet this friend of his who had also been a member of Visualize. Danny had climbed back into the truck and sped off before she’d even had a chance to try and help him see sense. It wasn’t the police; she’d know if it was. That was exactly where she’d spent a lifetime, honing her skills and fighting injustice.  Besides, cops always warned first, and then opened fire. No, their attackers were somebody else. She couldn’t blame him for taking flight; this was a dangerous situation for them both to be in. The bullet that had hit the car before he’d panicked said it all. Nobody in their right mind liked being in a shoot-out, not even a cop who was wearing appropriate defensive attire. And then, Lisbon remembered where she was and what was happening. She didn’t have a Kevlar vest on. All she had was her overnight bag in one hand and her gun in its holster on her right hip. Immediately, she jumped over a small brick wall in order to offer her at least some shelter. It was in good time too, for a bullet came whistling just over her head. That was a little too close for comfort.

Instinctively she withdrew her gun from its holster and her expression hardened. This was another law she was willfully breaking; using a firearm, presumably, without license. And it was on the outskirts of a city, no less. She was grateful that it was late at night; the skies were dark and every sensible person was tucked up in bed. Lisbon didn’t want any innocents to lose a life because of what was happening; she wouldn’t have been able to live with that on her conscience. It was bad enough that she had spent the past forty hours or so fighting against her every natural instinct already. To add anything else as troubling as that would have made her inconsolable.

They continued firing shots at her and eventually, she found herself battling down her instincts and returning fire. She frowned when she missed, and knew that it was probably because she was running on empty. Equally, she knew it was probably for the best that she didn’t shoot to kill; that would cause even more complications. Even so, once she had emptied the round, she knew she had to stop and reload. This was a defensive move, she reminded herself. She wasn’t shooting to kill, she never did. She was merely shooting in order to ensure that she got out of this situation unscathed. For a second her fingers fumbled with the zipper of the bag and it took her a few minutes to be able to grab hold of what she needed.

But the ammo tin slipped from her fingers the moment she managed to grab hold of it and Lisbon cursed at her bad fortune. She flailed briefly to try to reach for the thing but could only watch as it rolled away into the clutches of her adversaries. Her gun, her faithful Glock, was now entirely useless without ammunition. There was no way she could defend herself now. Briefly, she glanced behind her. A flight of stairs led to the underside of the bridge which would offer her cover from the people around her. Instinctively, she ran and was surprised at just how difficult she found it to summon up the energy to do so. Lisbon prided herself with keeping her body in peak physical fitness, but just a couple of days of neglect had undone years of hard work. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten properly or had a decent night’s sleep. Since they had discovered Agent Douglas’ mom dead, the ability to do those two things had simply eluded her. And now, she was paying the price for it.

She paused under the bridge, taking a moment just to catch her breath and decide what the next best action to take was. These people weren’t cops, but she couldn’t be sure that they were from Visualize, either. They relied on subterfuge, not going out all guns blazing. She knew that. Why the change in M.O., just like Red John had changed…

Red John.

Danny said that Red John was a member of Visualize. He worked somewhere high up in the cult and – as Lisbon extrapolated – Brett Stiles himself could even have been deeply embroiled in the Red John saga. Of course they would be after her, just like the authorities were. They wanted her as much as the police did. And she had a shrinking suspicion that they wouldn’t mind if she came to them dead or alive. Alive, in her honest opinion, was probably the better option. After all, this sorry scenario had probably been orchestrated just to impress her. To show how powerful the cult was, and how she could find a way to slot in, if that was what she chose.

And if it wasn’t what she chose, then she knew what the alternative was.

Lisbon was sick and tired of running already. She was sick of feeling guilt-ridden for something that she wasn’t even responsible for. None of this was her plan; somebody else had taken her destiny into their hands and started toying with it, like a cat with a mouse. Red John and Visualize had decided that she was to be framed as one of Red John’s acolytes in order to hurt Patrick Jane. She knew that; she had been distinctly aware of the possibility from the moment her badge had been found underneath Rigsby and Sarah’s bed.

They wanted her, she wanted them.

What was the point in dragging out the inevitable? From the moment that Jane had whisked her away to that desolate cabin, she had said she wanted this over and done with as soon as feasibly possible. It looked like, for once, she had actually gotten her wish. In reality, Lisbon wished she had a little more time, to gather together her feelings and actually sort out what she was going to do next.

But no; this was right. She needed to do this; it was now, or never.

And she certainly didn’t want to spend her whole life on the run.

Instead, she was going to walk into the dragon’s den with her head held high. And then, she was going to bring Red John down. Because _that_ was the kind of thing she did.


	14. Part Thirteen

She hadn’t much appreciated being bundled into a white van and driven off to an unknown location. However, even Lisbon had to admit that it was a blessed relief that they hadn’t merely chosen to gun her down on the spot. Of course, she had made it clear that she was surrendering to them, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t have attacked. Now, she had been transported to the Visualize Headquarters, with barely a word spoken to her. For the past couple of days, she’d had absolutely no control over her life or where and when she could go to certain places. She was getting a little sick of it, but of course, she felt like she had no choice.

Though, in reality, she knew that she did have a choice, of sorts. It was either this path which she was taking or she would end up in jail and have to attempt to clear her name with little to no resources at her fingertips. Neither option had been that appealing at the time, and now that she had chosen this specific fork that remained the case. Still, Lisbon tried desperately to remind herself that this was the lesser of two evils. Hopefully, her vigilante behavior would be rewarded and she would bring down Red John. However, she still felt like she was lost at sea, with no idea where to go next. Undercover operations were usually carried out with a massive amount of planning and consideration beforehand. This time around, she had been thrust into the situation and the only backup she had was an innocuous cellphone and prayers that Jane and Cho would reach her in time.

In time. For what, exactly? She didn’t know that either. Lisbon knew that she was heading into dangerous waters already and that at any given moment _something_ could happen to her. The more she tried not to think about the possibilities, the more she inevitably did. She was unarmed and only had her wits to keep her alive, that much was obvious. The longer this went on, the more physically ill she felt and the angrier she was too. Though many of the people she had arrested would argue otherwise, she hadn’t done anything to deserve this treatment. She didn’t deserve to be framed as a mole for a serial killer when she had spent her whole life working for justice.

Worse, she didn’t know what Jane was doing at this moment in time either. She had no idea what strings he’d pulled, or even if he had truly believed her pleas of innocence. He was a notoriously good liar and even after years of working with him, he still had the capabilities of pulling the wool over her eyes whenever he needed to. It was entirely possible that he had encouraged her to go down this route in order to see if she was guilty or innocent. And if she did happen to be innocent, then hope that she would flush out the person who was actually responsible.

She shook her head. She couldn’t doubt Jane, not now. She needed to put all of her faith in him in this situation. If she started doubting him now, then everything would inevitably come crashing down around her ears.

But, had he always known that Visualize and Red John were virtually one and the same? How had Danny, of all people, managed to infiltrate it? Lisbon wished she’d been able to spend more time with Jane’s brother-in-law. Maybe then, she would have felt more prepared for this ill-fated operation.

Eventually, they pulled to a halt and she was ushered out of the van and into the back doors of the Visualize Headquarters. Wordlessly, they guided her through the building until she landed up in a distinctly familiar room. This was Brett Stiles’ personal office, a place which she had ventured in before during cases. The men who had taken her from the streets of Sacramento and to this place instructed her to sit and she obliged. Not because she believed they deserved her respect, but because she didn’t want to cause trouble. Or at least, not yet, anyway. The moment she was in place, they vacated the room. However, before she even had the chance to catch her breath and truly familiarize herself with her surroundings, the door swung open again. Lisbon craned her neck over to see who had entered.

She wasn’t surprised in the slightest when she saw Brett Stiles stride towards her with a broad smile on his face.

"Ah, Teresa. It's good to see you," he said by introduction, almost acting as if he hadn’t expected her presence.  
  
Lisbon pursed her lips, but didn't answer Stiles. As far as she was concerned, it wasn't a particularly good time to be meeting him. She remained seated as he started to circle, like vultures with their prey. With his every move, he was inspecting her, waiting for her to make her next move. When she remained stubbornly silent, he eventually sat opposite her and leaned across the desk. His crystal clear blue eyes practically sparkled with delight. He was thrilled to have her here; that much was obvious. Naturally, that meant she couldn’t help but pose a very specific question to herself: _did this mean he was the man responsible for her current dilemma?_ She could tell that he had been expecting her for quite some time by his very demeanor and she hated it with every fiber of her being. He was practically bouncing around the room with delight and he probably had big plans for her. That only served to fuel the man’s excitement.  
   
Meanwhile, she felt drawn thin and utterly shattered. She craved her bed at home, she craved normalcy. Then, there was the whole job issue. If she couldn't get solid proof about Visualize and Red John, then she could kiss her freedom goodbye. She blinked; she wasn't going to show these weaknesses to Stiles. She already knew he was a terribly dangerous man. He was at least as quick witted as Jane and she wouldn't have been surprised if he had the same abilities too. There was a reason that the two of them had been playing games with one another for years. And now, she had the shrinking suspicion that it was about to come to a head. The only thing was they were both using her as a pawn piece, sacrificing her for what they perceived as the greater good.   
   
"You know, it's rude not to reply to somebody," Stiles said lightly when he realized she wasn’t going to answer.  
   
She shrugged and it was then that she chose to break her silence. "You didn't ask me a question."  
   
"No," Stiles admitted and then he smiled broadly at her. "But I know you have several for me."  
   
"Just one, actually," Lisbon answered lightly.  
   
"Oh?" he replied, clearly surprised. "Do tell, Ms. Lisbon. I'm very intrigued to know what's on your mind."  
   
"Why?" she stated.   
   
Stiles laughed again. Despite the brevity, Lisbon knew that it was actually a surprisingly big question. A few short sentences had suddenly given her a lot more clarity into what she was dealing with. Barely a few minutes ago, she was questioning _if_ he was responsible, and now, she only wanted to know _why_. Why have you framed me as a serial killer's associate? Why now? Why have you hidden Red John for years? And if you, yourself, are Red John, why have you done everything you have? Lisbon actually couldn't quite comprehend the last statement. Through Visualize, Stiles had power and respect. Why would he risk it all by being a serial killer? Didn't he already have everything and anyone that he needed at his beck and call?

But then, sociopaths didn’t have to have a reason to do anything. While he had power within the cult, it probably wasn’t enough. Having the utmost control of life or death of specific individuals was probably the last thrill left for somebody in Stiles’ position. Of course it was going to be something he explored, it just made sense. The more Lisbon thought about it, the more the pieces seemed to fall into position. Vaguely, she wondered if Jane had come to the same conclusions as she had – and if he had, how long had he known for? When was he planning to tell her? Or had he just decided to let her discover all of this in her own time? Maybe, it was simply a case of him realizing that he had done everything within his power to bring down Brett Stiles and it still wasn’t enough. Perhaps, this was his way of letting her in, letting her have a slice of the glory. Teresa Lisbon, getting to clear her name and close the career-making case of a lifetime in one go.

Of course, that was presuming she was right. That she could find the evidence she needed within these four walls. And then there was the whole get-out-of-here-alive thing. Lisbon had known for years that Stiles was a character not to be messed with. He had always appeared to teeter on the edge of the law and darker deeds. And then, there was a reason why they had left him to his own devices.

Until now, of course.

"Very good," he replied and continued smiling. It unnerved her just how cheerful he was. " _Very_ clever. You know, I almost think I underestimated you. You'll have to forgive me, but with a distraction like Patrick Jane..."  
   
She stood up at once and slammed her hands on the mahogany desk as she did so. Brett Stiles was startled by her sudden burst of energy, but Lisbon didn't care. Jane was a sore spot when it came to her, and she was incredibly protective of him and for good reason. Later on, she would realize that this behavior was exactly what Stiles had expected of her, but for now, she couldn't help but show her emotions. It didn't help that she was tired, on edge and had much less patience than usual either. Eventually, Stiles leaned back in his chair, but he maintained eye contact with her. He wasn't perturbed in the slightest by her feeble attempt to display power. Instead, he laced his fingers together and nodded slightly.   
   
"Relax, my dear. Take to your seat again. I wouldn't hurt a hair on Mr. Jane's head. He... amuses me too much."  
   
There was a slight pause; one which Lisbon could easily imagine was filled with a predatory 'for now'. She got the distinct suspicion that Stiles was suggesting that the moment he grew bored with Jane and his antics, then the situation would be different. Thus far, the conversation had offered very few direct answers, but had opened passageways in her mind which she hadn't realized existed until now. Dearly, she wished she could know Jane's insight into the situation. Though she was a skilled cop, and could read deception in people, she was trying to outdo a master here. She had always felt woefully ill-equipped to deal with Brett Stiles and that was why he made a good cult leader. Everybody lived in fear of him.   
   
But, to add insult to injury, Stiles was yet to answer any of her questions - direct or assumed. It was probably partially her fault; if she had asked a closed question, she would probably have had an answer by now. Instead, she was more interested in what Stiles perceived to be her issues with him and Visualize. That had been the exact reason why she had merely asked him 'why?'  
   
"Now, Teresa. I know you're a wanted criminal these days," he said with a smirk and she felt the distinct desire to smack it off his face.   
   
"I was framed," she answered back bluntly.  
   
"I know, and who would want to do such a thing to you?"  
   
She opened her mouth to retort, but then closed it again. But she knew it was too late; she had already shown her hand. Quietly, she cursed at herself but tried to ensure that her face remained as blank as feasibly possible. But she had been told too many times that she looked too honest and that people could see through any lie she cared to conjure up. It was probably inevitable that Brett Stiles could already read everything she was thinking. She didn't need to answer his question with the fateful name 'Red John'; he already knew. Still, she refused to give him the pleasure of hearing her say it. Partially because she was in a stubborn mood, but mostly because she knew she needed to protect herself in order to survive in the dragon's lair.

“I can offer you safety, security. Change your name; give you a new purpose for life, one which truly uses your full capabilities.”

“My job suits me perfectly.”

“What, following Patrick Jane around like a little lapdog? I know you were a better cop before he came around. And I know he always steals your glory.”

“It’s not about glory; it’s about _justice_.”

“Just what I’d expect from you,” Stiles replied and nodded gently. “Even when you’ve been ostracized from the community you love, you still fight fearlessly for it.”

“Because _you_ put me in this situation,” she stressed.

“You’re tired, Teresa. You’re sick of running, sick of fighting. I’ll let you sleep on this decision. You need to relax and think this proposition through properly. Or…”

“Or?” Lisbon echoed.

“You need to prove that I’m guilty. The ball is in your court, Ms. Lisbon. Good luck.”


	15. Part Fourteen

It was funny just how much a good night’s sleep and a decent breakfast could change somebody’s perception. Now that she was surprisingly well-rested and well-fed, Lisbon found that the slightest shred of optimism had returned to her current predicament. So, she was inside Visualize with Brett Stiles watching her every move, but she knew he wasn’t going to kill her. Or at least, he wasn’t going to kill her yet. Danger still lurked around every corner, but she had rediscovered her confidence in her abilities, something which had been quickly seeped away from her in her short time on the run. Lisbon was glad that she was no longer running and she could see that glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel.

All she had to do now was make sure that it wasn’t extinguished entirely.

When she next met with Brett Stiles, she was mature and polite. Lisbon managed to battle down her inherent loathing for the man and pretended that she had the utmost respect for him. In some ways, she couldn’t help but do so anyway. He was ridiculously clever and had managed to evade the authorities for so long. Grudgingly, even she had to accept that deserved some sort of admiration. But equally, that didn’t stop her from wanting to bring him down in a heartbeat, nor did it remove her distaste for all that he was responsible for. Usually, Lisbon lived by the mantra ‘innocent until proven guilty’. In her line of work, she could never assume guilt until she had hard evidence on the table. However, as far as she was concerned, Stiles’ hissed ‘prove it’ had been evidence enough of his guilt. Not enough to send him to death row, of course, but a challenge to see if she was clever enough to get him to that point.

So, she accepted his invitation to join Visualize. She pretended that she was ready to start again, that she had been foolish and childishly naïve in her attitudes the night before. Lisbon had claimed that she realized that if she wanted to live as a (semi) free woman, then this was the only door left open for her. All she could do was hope that her doubt in her abilities didn’t flicker through and that Stiles believed her every word and every action. At the very least, he seemed accepting of what she had said. He shook her hand, welcomed her into the fold, into Visualize.

But even as she left the room to go and join her new life, she felt his eyes on her every move. The words ‘prove it’ continued to echo around her mind. And that was precisely what she was going to set out to achieve.

Slowly, she ingratiated herself with the other members of Visualize. Like Danny before her, she listened to the whisperings and the rumors and speculation. It didn’t take her long to discover that yes, Visualize was exactly why Miss Lilith Douglas had sprung seemingly out of nowhere from. And far, far more interestingly she discovered soon after that _Ron_ had also some seriously deep connections with the cult. That revelation had left Lisbon temporarily stunned. Like herself, Ron had been with the CBI for years and she would never have guessed that he was deeply embroiled with a cult. It saddened her, in a way. It also confirmed that it _was_ plausible for one of Red John’s number to be buried within the CBI unnoticed. Of course, she wasn’t that person; it was becoming increasingly clear that Ron was.

This was all rumor and speculation until one person – a woman who had been ‘forced’ to join Visualize in much the same way that she had – confided in Lisbon. Like Lisbon, she had been scurrying away information in attempt to bring down Brett Stiles, but lacked the confidence to actually make it happen. Somehow, she had managed to get hold of Lilith Douglas’ diary from her time with Visualize. Lisbon didn’t ask her how, in all honesty she didn’t actually care. However, she knew that this was precisely the kind of evidence that she had needed to attempt to clear her name.

Over the course of the next couple of nights, she read every scrap of information present in the diary. It surprised her just how detailed it was. Douglas had mentioned being introduced to Ron, getting closer to Stiles and even the planning of her mother’s death. She showed no remorse whatsoever; if anything, her writings indicated that she had hoped she could be involved in the death somehow. The thought made Lisbon shudder. How had she not been capable of seeing the dark and callous side of Douglas when she had interviewed her? But then, she hadn’t wanted to. She had just wanted to find somebody – anybody – to replace Wayne Rigsby. Stiles had provided her with the perfect little mole to fill that space.

And even, if for some remote reason, she had failed to hire Douglas, Lisbon was sure that Ron would have found a way to take her down without her help. Having her within the CBI just eased matters for her. For a brief second, she questioned whether or not the handwriting was actually Douglas’. She was fairly confident it was, but it was only natural that those doubts surfaced. After all, everything she had believed in had been turned upside down and it was taking a superhuman amount of effort to set it right again. She sent Jane a message about this development and he’d replied, stating that he was ‘proud’ of her.

But Douglas’ diary was only enough to prove that she and Ron were involved with Red John. It wasn’t enough to prove that Stiles himself was Red John. Her gut instinct wasn’t enough evidence for that.

Lisbon tried using the computing system, but could never get far enough inside of it to find anything of substance. Besides, she knew that that kind of activity drew far too much attention to herself and that made her feel distinctly uncomfortable. She tried talking to the Visualize members ( _technically_ , other Visualize members, she reminded herself) but they either knew nothing, worshipped Stiles far too much or just clammed up at the very mention of the possibility that he could be corrupt. Much to her dismay, it was becoming increasingly obvious that she was going to have to – somehow – force Stiles’ hand in order to make him confess all.

The very thought had her quaking in her boots.

In the end, serendipity had a part to play. When she heard that Ron was paying a visit to Visualize on ‘official police duties’, she could scarcely believe her luck. A message received from Jane confirmed that he knew Ron was visiting Stiles specifically, so Lisbon knew that she had to make every effort to hear said conversation. This, she knew, could be her only chance to actually catch Brett Stiles in the act of talking about Red John. She also knew that she needed a trusted police officer – in other words, Cho – to hear every single word as well; otherwise, she was wasting her time. Nobody would believe her at the moment, not even with the diary which she kept on her person at all times.

It was surprisingly easy for her to hide in Brett Stiles’ office, almost too easy. As she cowered in a cupboard, Lisbon couldn’t help but wonder if he had actually planned for this moment to happen. She didn’t doubt that he had kept his eye on her since her ‘recruitment’ to Visualize. Lisbon also wouldn’t have been surprised in the slightest if Stiles knew that she had never given up on her quest to ‘prove’ his guilt either. Within Visualize, he had eyes and ears everywhere, literally. Was this actually a trap, and was he planning to kill her now? Was he about to destroy Jane for the second time around?

But she couldn’t worry about it now. She had already made her decision. That, and Stiles had just strode into his office with Ron in tow. Peeking through the gaps, she watched each and every move of each of the gentlemen. Surreptitiously, she slipped the cellphone that Jane had given her a couple of months ago out of her pocket, carefully selected Cho’s number and pressed dial. Cho was expecting the call; she had already sent the newly promoted senior agent of the Serious Crimes Unit a text message the night before, explaining her plan. He knew not to speak, just to listen and she trusted him to follow her instructions. After all, it wasn’t Jane she was dealing with.

Lisbon remained deathly silent. She knew that the both of them were just as intrigued by this meeting as one another.

“You said you had an update for me on the Serious Crimes Unit, Ron,” Stiles spoke calmly and clearly.

“They believe that Teresa Lisbon is innocent. Or at least, Kimball Cho, Grace Van Pelt and Patrick Jane do. The newly rehired Wayne Rigsby doesn’t know what to believe. Douglas is trying desperately to convince them otherwise, but it’s hard work. Even the presence of the Jane girl’s necklace in Ms. Lisbon’s safe wasn’t enough to deter them. They were such an established team…”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses,” Stiles roared in response. “I want actions!”

“I know, but-“

“I don’t like the word ‘but’,” Stiles continued.

Briefly, Lisbon saw the flash of a knife. She froze for a second and then, with shaking hands she pressed the phone to her ear. Although she knew Cho wouldn’t dare speak to her, she also had to try and hear what he was saying to the others, if they were going to head over to Visualize. She wasn’t surprised when all she could hear was the sound of a car engine and Patrick Jane speaking quickly and urgently to Cho. It was a relief to hear his voice; she hadn’t heard it since that fateful day when he’d sent her off with his brother-in-law. He’d told her to stay safe. She very much doubted that that was what she was doing right now.

“If you don’t produce results, Ronald, I shall be forced to use this.”

“Please sir, you can’t. I have a wife and a daughter. I never…”

“But you’re becoming a weak link. I believe it’s only a matter of time before you reveal your little secret to Mr. Jane. Tell him that you were partially responsible for framing his _dear_ Teresa Lisbon.”

“I swear I’d never!”

“Lies!”

“I’m not, I promise. I beg of you sir, please! Think of my family! I have to get back to my daughter!”

Then, it was over almost as quickly as it begun. The knife in Stiles’ hand made quick work of the bare flesh of Ron’s neck. Lisbon instinctively closed her eyes when he actually cut the arteries and only opened them again to see his blood coming out in spurts. This was the confirmation they had needed, this was the proof that Brett Stiles had been responsible for all those murders. Dearly, she wished that she was still in possession of her badge and gun. She wished that the CBI still trusted her, and she was still a cop. Then, she would have been able to shoot the bastard down dead. Just because Ron had betrayed them all, it didn’t mean she had wanted to see him murdered by Red John. On the contrary, she would have much preferred to see him locked up.

A tear leaked out of her eye as her thoughts strayed to his wife and daughter. They were probably oblivious to the fact that Ron had been living a double life all these years. And now, instead of having him back alive – and albeit in jail – they would be burying him instead.

She couldn’t focus on the tragedy for too long. Brett Stiles immediately stalked over to her hiding space and threw open the doors with delight.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here? A little mouse?”

Lisbon glanced down at the knife in his hand. It was still dripping with Ron’s blood. She remained wordless and gripped hold of the phone tightly. Silently, she offered a prayer that Jane and Cho would be here soon. They had to be. If they didn’t hurry up, then Stiles would slip through their fingers. He’d probably be far more successful at ‘disappearing’ then she ever had been.

“Pass me the phone, Ms. Lisbon. I would rather like a word with Patrick.”

“No,” she snarled and instead, she ended the call. They would be here soon. She had backup, just like she had always done in the past. The only difference was the fact that she wasn’t personally armed.

He laughed and it chilled her down to the bone. Warily, she watched as he cleaned the knife down on his pants. And then, the phone on his desk started ringing. He shot her a glance, but eventually went to answer it. Slowly, Lisbon tried to edge her way out of the cupboard and out of the room. All the while, she was listening to Stiles’ responses to the person at the other end of the line. The CBI were here, they had pushed their way in and were on their way up.

But Stiles ended the call. With significant athleticism, especially for an older gentleman, he quickly closed the gap between them and pinned her up against the wall. She wasn’t going to go anywhere. Slowly, carefully, he moved the knife up to her exposed neck and she swallowed deeply. He had her in a lock and she couldn’t move a muscle. Despite the fact that she knew Cho was coming, it didn’t stop her from believing that she needed some kind of miracle and fast.

“Your Patrick will be here in a minute. But don’t let that fool you into believing he’ll see you alive, Teresa. It’s been… fun.”

She let out a piercing scream as the knife blade slowly, carefully cut through the first layer of her skin.


	16. Part Fifteen

 

In the end, Teresa Lisbon did get her miracle. The moment that Stiles started to cut delicately through her skin, almost _too_ gently considering what he was doing, Kimball Cho burst through the door. With practiced precision, he shot him three times and the man slumped to the ground. If Stiles had decided to end her life as quickly as he had done with Ron's, then she wouldn't have had a chance. In the end, his sense of theatrics saved her life. Desperately, she wanted to give Jane a crushing hug and Cho too, even though she knew he wouldn't appreciate it quite as much. However, Cho wasn't having any of it. Just because Stiles had somehow managed to avoid slicing through any arteries, it didn't mean she hadn't already received a major injury. The wound had only been exacerbated during Stiles' shooting and subsequent collapse and already, Lisbon found herself beginning to feel faint.

As Jane called for an ambulance, looking as white as a sheet, Cho organized a compress for the injury. She didn't argue; she wasn't in any fit state to. Besides, Lisbon knew that she needed the help and was more than willing to let Cho do what he saw as best. Once again, she was infinitely grateful that the CBI saw those arduous First Aid courses as a necessity. Though it didn't seem like it at the time, they really did help to save lives. Few words were spoken between the three of them; only those of utmost urgency slipped from between their lips. At that moment in time, anything they could have said could wait until later. Despite Cho and Jane's protestations, before the EMTs arrived, she ensured she had passed Douglas' diary onto Cho. Beyond that, dissecting what had just happened could wait. And anyhow, the sheer shock of what she had just witnessed - and what had very nearly happened to her - was beginning to take over. She was milliseconds away from becoming Red John's final victim, and they all knew it. The Red John case was closed, albeit tentatively, but she had nearly gone down with it.

It felt like an eternity until she was being wheeled into the ambulance. In reality, everything had happened quickly, but Lisbon had been acutely aware of the blood loss and pain. It was those simple facts that had warped her perception of time itself. Word had already gotten out about the death of Brett Stiles and a Visualize member. However, amongst the gossips, Lisbon's role remained ominously murky. Nobody knew whether or not she was the 'hero' who brought down Red John, if she had been the one to brutally kill Stiles and Ron or if she had been working with them both all along and had had a lucky escape. But she didn't care what Visualize members thought of her; the truth would come out soon enough. For now, all she really wanted to do was sleep.

"I want to go with her," Jane argued before the ambulance pulled her away from him. "I need to."

"It's okay," she muttered when somebody protested. "He can come."

Jane clasped hold of her hand before the EMTs even had a chance to slam the doors shut. For a short while they remained silent, still trying to take in what had actually happened. Even so, Lisbon was just glad to have him back by her side; they should never have been parted in the first place. Eventually, Jane was the one to break the silence and Lisbon was grateful for it. She could feel her whole body shaking like a leaf; an adrenalin rush in spite of her exhaustion.

"I thought I told you to stay safe for me," he said, his voice clearly anguished.

"Please," she croaked quietly. "It's just a flesh wound."

"Says the woman who very nearly had her throat slashed and is still at risk of bleeding out if we don't get to the hospital soon."

Lisbon stared upwards and her vision was becoming increasingly blurred. Spots of light appeared too, but she didn't dare say a word. The medics had done a good job at staunching the flow of blood, but there wasn't anything more they could do there. She had already heard whispers about blood transfusions, blood tests, drugs and operations to repair the damage that had been done. The knife that Stiles had used had already been contaminated and that complicated matters. However, a part of her just didn't want to know the details. Lisbon trusted them to do their jobs, just like she trusted Cho to deal with the crime scene that the Visualize Headquarters had become. Despite being a chronic control freak - one who had been completely out of control for nearly three months and thus, had it drive her a little insane - she knew she was of no use to anyone for now. Besides, it was becoming increasingly difficult to remain conscious. She allowed her eyes to flutter shut. A few minutes rest wouldn't hurt them.

"Hey, stay with me," Jane spoke soothingly and he squeezed her hand a little tighter. "You're doing a great job. Besides, it's been too long since I last saw you. You can't just fall asleep on me now."

"I'm actually beginning to wonder if any of this is real or not."

Jane immediately flashed a look of concern, but Lisbon didn't notice it. She was too busy trying to fight against various instincts and she knew that her mind was getting increasingly messed up. They had to be nearly at the hospital; that was all she could think about. She'd had one wish answered, was it too much to ask for a full recovery on top of that deal?

"I'd give you a hug if I could, just to prove it," he eventually said lightly. "Maybe later, though."

"I'll hold you to that."

"That's my Lisbon," he answered back with a bright grin.

They couldn't talk for much longer and Lisbon didn't have the energy, even if she wanted to. Really, she wanted to discuss more important subjects, but that was completely out of the question. As with before, it was something that needed to wait until later, so she had the cognitive abilities to think it through and do the discussion justice. For now, she was torn away from Jane's side and whisked away for some much needed emergency treatment. She didn't argue; she didn't even have the impetus to do so. If she'd even bothered to try, the doctors wouldn't have listened to her anyway. Like whenever she got a bit between her teeth about a case, they were determined not to lose her when they'd already brought her so far. It was simply out of the question.

Later, she awoke in a pristine white room with the sounds of machines bleeping regularly around her. The smell of disinfectant cloyed in the air and her arm felt uncomfortable. She then noticed the drip; she probably needed some serious hydration after all she been through. Then, Lisbon began to hear Cho's voice over the sounds of the machines. For somebody who was usually so under control when it came to his emotions, he sounded very irate. Immediately, she stiffened every muscle in her body and tried desperately to listen into what was being said. She hated hearing Cho in such a mood; Lisbon knew that it could lead to dangerous situations.

"She is not a prisoner; she's a victim," Cho snapped at whoever he was talking to. The words stung; she still didn't consider herself a victim. She had merely been doing her job, albeit unpaid. "And when she is fully recovered, I look forward to welcoming her back as my boss."

"But all those offences she's committed," argued back the vaguely familiar voice.

"She was framed and we have evidence to prove it. Wayne Rigsby and Grace Van Pelt are currently interrogating our sole surviving suspect."

"Who?" the other person asked, intrigued.

"Lilith Douglas."

"Clear up this mess, Agent Cho. If the case isn't rock solid, then Lisbon will not be returning and I will gladly throw her to the wolves. That's the least she deserves with the sheer contempt she has shown the law as of late."

Then she realized that Cho was talking to Gale Bertram, defending her innocence and attempting to secure her job back. However, she didn't have the time to dwell on it much longer. Jane had slipped into the room with a bunch of lilies in hand and immediately, she turned all of her attentions onto him. Lisbon watched as he made a grand display out of arranging the flowers on the table. She got the distinct impression that he was trying to prolong the amount of time it was before he actually spoke to her. After all, they had very important things to discuss. Eventually, when he was fully satisfied with his handiwork, he sat down opposite her.

"I wanted to get you something nicer, but these were the best they had," he admitted grudgingly.

"They're lovely, Jane. Thank you," she replied and she meant it too.

"No, thank you," he insisted.

"I didn't do anything much. It was your plan; I just reacted in the right ways."

She knew precisely what he was insinuating, but she wasn't really ready to go there just yet. Her head was too addled; Lisbon knew that she'd had a significant amount of drugs pumped into her system, to help ward off infections, to aid blood clotting, to alleviate the pain and whatever else. Therefore, she wanted to wait until she was more lucid before she started talking about Red John. However, before he'd even said a word, Lisbon knew he would argue about delaying the inevitable. This was a topic that they couldn't avoid forever and like ripping off a Band-Aid, it was better to get it over and done with. So, she just let him take the lead and get on with it. In the end, she knew that she would be grateful for that decision, even if she wasn't at this moment in time.

"Don't be like that. There's no need to be so modest," Jane insisted. "You've achieved something incredible."

"If it wasn't for you and Cho, I wouldn't be here at all."

"Teresa..."

"Besides, neither of us got what we really wanted," she continued, emboldened. "He'll never truly be held accountable for everything he's done."

"Did you really think Red John would ever have come in alive?" Jane asked, but he probably knew the answer anyway.

"No," she admitted and suddenly the situation seemed clearer. Stiles had delayed her murder for a reason; he had _wanted_ to be caught in the act. He knew that if one of her team (excepting Douglas, of course) witnessed him toying with her, then they wouldn't have hesitated to shoot and kill. If he had been able to take her down at the same time, then it would have been an added bonus. Because then, it would have destroyed Jane a second time around in spite of his death. But somehow, she had gotten out of it alive. By all accounts, she shouldn't have, but she had. And nobody was more relieved about that simple fact than her.

"Suicide by cop suits him, don't you think?" Jane said lightly.

"That's a rather odd way to phrase it, Jane."

Lisbon shrugged her shoulders, ignoring the pain in her throat and they fell into a restive silence. In that time, Jane's hand moved to her own. His fingers clasped around hers in much the same way as they had in the ambulance. Just as she had been then, she was grateful for the gentle touch. Even more so considering, this time, there was no sense of desperate urgency. She didn't feel like she was trying to die now; instead, she was on the road to recovery.

"Jane?" she said quietly.

"Yes?"

"What are you going to do now? You always said that after Red John..."

He chuckled gently. They were both aware of what he had said in the past and though Lisbon knew that things were different between them now, she still needed to hear the confirmation.

"I think I might stick around. Somebody needs to make sure you keep out of trouble. You've given us all quite the scare."

"Don't you think _I_ need to keep an eye on you too?" she questioned and raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Ah, but nothing I do lands up with a life-threatening situation. It may be risky, yes, but I never get close to death," he answered back and she scowled. "Besides, what about _you_ , Teresa? Will you really go back to the CBI?"

"If they'll have me, then yes." She didn't need to think about it twice. Her job was her passion and she had felt lost without it. Even with the relative stability of Visualize for the past couple of months, she knew it wasn't the place that she belonged.

"Oh they'll have you back, especially if I have anything to do with it."

Suddenly, he leaned forwards and gave her an impromptu kiss on the forehead. For a second, she was startled but then she saw that he was preparing to leave. And it was in good time, too. She was beginning to feel drowsy again and in need of a nap. Besides, he probably had a lot of work to do anyway.

"Now you rest and get better. This time, listen to me, okay?" he instructed.

"I thought I was _your_ boss?" she countered.

"Not at the moment, so make sure you do as I say."

She kept her eyes on him as he exited the room. Though she was loath to admit it, he did dispense excellent advice on occasion. And the drama would soon be over. She would be able to get back to normality and that was all she ever wanted.

Soon, she repeated to herself. Soon.


	17. Epilogue

Despite her wish for it all to be over, Lisbon knew that it inevitably wouldn't be. Fighting crime was an endless task; just as one criminal was put safely behind bars, another three popped up in his place. Still, as she walked into the CBI headquarters after a period of six weeks convalescence, Lisbon felt more at ease than she had done so for several months.  
   
As much as things had changed, things had gotten back to being exactly the same.  
   
After much soul-searching and consideration, Wayne Rigsby asked for his old job back and he was instantly welcomed back with open arms. Lilith Douglas was charged with numerous crimes and imprisoned, awaiting trial. And finally, Lisbon herself was back, her name fully cleared, with more than a little thanks to Kimball Cho, who behaved like a Rottweiler in defending her good name.  Any misdemeanors she may have carried out were entirely disregarded and justified as being a part of ‘the operation to bring down Red John’. Initially, she had been dubious about her return, but it turned out that she was given a hero's welcome.  
   
In a way, she was. But that didn’t mean she necessarily saw herself in that way.  
   
And that was another thing that wasn't quite over. Visualize was undergoing a heavy investigation, but that didn't stop some members from committing felonies in retaliation for what the CBI had done to Brett Stiles. Some members were just too far in to realize that he had been a serial killer and lived a life of denial. Red John continued to haunt them, even after his death.  
   
Before she opened the door to her office, she ran a finger along the scar at the base of her neck. It was a constant reminder of just how close she was to death. After sorting everything she needed to out in her office, reading through the notes of their latest case, she went through to the bullpen to brief her team, Jane included.  
   
It was time for her to get back to work.

 


End file.
